


Catch Me, I'm Falling

by TeelLilies



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: 'cause you're gonna get cavities, (there's one), Coping with things, Corn farm, Cuddling, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fallen Angel!Gabriel, Family Drama, Farmer!Jack, Fluff, Gabe is the angel, Gabriel Reyes needs a hug, Horses?, Idk I'll probably add more tags later, Jack Morrison is gay as shit and never knew, Jack is the farmer (surprise), Jack's Family - Freeform, M/M, Mentions of War, Mentions of death (no main characters or even characters with names), Nightmares, Slow Burn, Soft Boys, Stargazing, They're so gay someone help them, This is going to be fluffy as shit just you wait, Young Reaper | Gabriel Reyes, Young Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison, and he gets the hug he needs, angst eventually, book an appointment with your dentist, bottling up emotions, fallen angel AU, family feud ish, farmer au, gay slurs, i don't even know at this point, ish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-09-26 14:47:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 50,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9906440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeelLilies/pseuds/TeelLilies
Summary: Jack Morrison has lead a normal life for so long, and will probably continue to lead a normal life... But with an abnormal addition.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Lmao I suck at summaries 
> 
> Anyways, here's a fallen angel AU, I was chatting with a friend of mine the other day... And well, here's another AU while I procrastinate working on Under A Cold Moon

The day was cooling off as the sun dipped below the horizon. Jack would have been alone in the barn at that point, but Jesse was still biding his time before he went home. Jack knew that Jesse had a certain affection for the horses and barn cats. So Jack humored him as he finished cleaning the tack for one of the horses. 

"You should get home Jesse, it's getting dark, I'm assuming that your husband is waiting for you?" Jack hummed a bit, examining the leather before he pushed himself up off the crate he had been sitting on. He caight Jesse's sheepish smile out of the corner of his eye as he wandered to the next room to hang the saddle and bridle once more. 

"Yeah, I know boss. He's workin' late today. I should be headin' out though. You make sure to get some rest too." Jesse offered up another bright smile and Jack rolled his eyes. The younger man was always on him about resting and taking care of himself. But Jack Morrison hadn't gotten into the business of farming to relax. He just hoped Jesse didn't worry about him too much. The kid was more of a bleeding heart than the farmer, he worried all the damn time. 

"I will Jesse, now get out of here before I fire you." Jack waved him off, shoving the younger man towards the door of the barn. Jesse went laughing, waving and bidding Jack goodbye for the evening. He paused by the door to lean down and pat Jacks dog, Lady, on the head. Jack let him go, before making sure things were set for the night. He was pretty damn tired, and he'd be happy to turn in. Farm work was exhausting as all hell, but it was satisfying. 

Once Jack had set everything for the night, he headed out towards the door. Lady pulled herself up from the pile of hay she had made her bed and trotted after him, hanging at his heels as he closed the barn up for the night. She always stuck close to Jack, and Jack had long since gotten used to the dog constantly shadowing him. She was good company, didn't aggrivate the animals, didn't dig in the corn or anything. 

He hummed faintly, crossing the driveway to the house as he took a glance around. Jesse had just left, dust still hung in the air, but other than that, the place was peaceful. The fields of corn stirred slightly in the breeze and the chickens pecked about in their fenced in yard. Jack saw one of the barn cats crouched over a dead crow, happily tearing feathers out of the carcass to make it that night's meal. 

Thankfully he didn't have any other chores for the evening, so as soon as he stepped inside, he could shuck off his boots. Lady trotted off to her dish and Jack peeled off his hat as well. He trailed the dog to the kitchen, getting himself a glass of water as she drank noisily from her bowl. 

It was the usual quiet of the evening that eased Jack like nothing else. It was always the same. Jesse left, he and Lady finished whatever they were doing, and then they came back inside to eat and go to bed. The routine was nice, and Jack appreciated having company that didn't expect him to uphold a conversation of any sort. Not that he didn't love Jesse's company, and the other man didn't pressure him into conversation. It was just nice to be almost alone. 

He had been doing his own thing for a while, it suited him much more than some office job somewhere. Sure he had tried other things, but he was a farm boy at heart, it only made sense that he continue in the same area. His parents weren't too far away after all, so he had family close by, and that was nice. He had the animals and a pretty steady life right were he was. 

After enjoying the quiet and actually eating something, Jack called to Lady and she trotted up the stairs after him towards his bedroom. Getting ready for bed didn't require any thought, just changing up and flopping down under the covers. Lady was quick to follow, and Jack rolled over to bury his fingers in the dog's long fur. At first when he got her, he tried to keep her off the bed, and the furniture in general, but he had long since given up. 

Lady seemed just as happy to settle down with Jack as Jack was to settle down in general, and she had soon dozed off as Jack let himself relax. He ended up absently twining the dog's soft fur between his fingers, humming as he drifted off to sleep. 

Sleep, however, didn't last long. 

He woke to the entire house shaking like it was about to crumble down to it's foundation. It only lasted a breath, but a massive flash of light followed, as if the sun had risen for just half a second. Lady was barking like crazy, darting between the window and door as Jack pushed himself out of bed. What the hell had that been? He was out of bed and heading down the hall in moments, grabbing his rifle from where it hung above the fireplace and storming to the door to yank his jacket and boots on. Lady scratched at the door still barking, and as soon as Jack opened the door she shot out like a fucking arrow. 

The farmer ran after her, he knew that when it came to animals, they often knew where things were happening. At first Jack had thought earthquake, but it didn't last long, and an earthquake in Indiana? His second thought was that maybe it was some idiot local kids setting off fireworks. Lady was too freaked out for that though. She ran in a straight line, and Jack ended up following her, until she came to an abrupt stop, still barking. 

They had passed one of the fields by a couple hundred feet, and there, was a huge pit in the ground. That was a surprise in it's own. Jack slowed, wondering if it had been some sort of meteorite that had come down and narrowly missed his field.

However, when he reached the edge of the crater, he was hit by the reality that it sure as hell wasn't some little meteor. Nope, there was a person laying there. The first thing Jack noticed was that he was completely bare, which was surprising even if the guy was passed out in a crater. The second thing he noticed was that the man was bleeding. And the person was undoubtably a man. 

Jack's mind reeled as Lady plunged into the crater, her paws digging into the dirt that had been turned up by the impact. The dog made a beeline for the man, nosing at his face and licking him in an attempt to wake him up. Jack, on the other hand was frozen. When he finally shook himself, he remembered that the other man was bleeding, and that needed to be tended to before anything else. The farmer didn't want to leave the guy alone, but Lady had taken a place beside him, so Jack assumed she would monitor him for long enough to retrieve a phone. 

He ended up going to do just that, running off back to the house to toss his rifle onto the kitchen table, grabbing his cell phone from the counter in the same movement. He was inside for only a moment, and was heading back to the crater as he dialed the number of the only doctor he knew. The phone rang a couple times as Jack jogged back in the right direction, before there was the sound of Angela picking up the phone. 

"Hello?" She sounded a little disoriented, still hazy from sleep, but Jack didn't have time to apologize. 

"Angela, can you come out here please? I think I have a new patient for you." Jack was a bit breathless when he spoke, trotting up to the edge of the crater once more before he carefully stepped down the side. 

"Did someone get into the barn?" Jack heard Angela getting out of bed, and he ran a hand over his face as he knelt down next to the man. He was still out cold, and Jack had to check his pulse to make sure he wasn't dead. 

"No... No we're not talking animals here Angela, I'll explain when you get here okay?" Jack was relieved to find the other man's pulse. As he did that though, the man let out a shaky breath, and Jack watched in shock as some sort of opalescent mist slipped from his lips, evaporating into the night air. What the fuck?

"Are you alright Jack?" Worry and confusion tainted the vet's voice, and it took Jack a moment to respond. 

"I'm fine just... Yeah, can you just come out here? I've got someone who really needs to be stitched up..." He trailed off again as he looked over the other man's wounds. It was still dark but there was blood pooling under the guy and Jack was sure that as soon as he got a look at the man's back, it would prove to be much worse than the rest of him. 

Angela said she would be there in a minute before she hung up and Jack was left alone in the dark once more. They'd need somewhere to put him right? Jack pushed himself to his feet, his gaze flickering between the stranger and the house, he could still see the porch light from where he was. The barn loomed off to the side, partially hidden by the corn. 

He could take two minutes to go back inside right? They would need somewhere to put the stranger where they could clean him up. So Jack told Lady to stay, as he knew she'd start barking if the stranger woke up or tried to move. And after that he ran back to the house. 

It didn't take him long to lay an old blanket over the couch, turning lights on and gathering some things he knew Angela would need. He was just about to go back inside when he heard Angela's car pull into the driveway and he stepped out. She had her bag in hand, and Jack was pretty damn relieved to see her. He had a second blanket slung over his arm, and motioned for her to follow him over to the crater. 

He explained what had happened as they walked, and Angela trotted along beside him, looking more confused by the moment. She looked pretty alert, but he knew that she was still a little sleep-addled. It was incredibly late after all. 

"I have no fucking clue what the hell all of that was, but that's not even the weirdest thing..." Jack trailed off, remembering the odd mist he had seen. He wondered if it was just a trick of the light, moonlight catching just right... It wasn't cold enough for people's breath to fog up though. 

"This all sounds strange." Angela shook her head, hefting her bag again before they reached the edge of the crater, her eyes widened a bit before Lady hopped up out of the pit to greet her. 

"I told you, I have no idea what's going on here." Jack shook his head before he stepped down into the crater once more. He ended up wrapping the blanket around the man, and then scooped him up with a strained huff. Jack had hauled plenty of heavy things, but he was pretty sure that the man he had picked up was all muscle, and it took a moment to get on level ground again. The stranger was still out cold, but as they approached the light of the house, Jack started to catch more of his features, a couple scars lashed across his face, dark lashes fanned out against the man's cheeks, and he had the black curls to match, he was smudged with dirt, but that was possibly the least surprising thing. 

Angela hurried in front of Jack to push the door open, Lady hung back until Jack was inside before she went to lay down in the kitchen, watching the people settle in the living room as Jack set the stranger on the couch. When he pulled away, he realized his sleeve was completely soaked with blood. 

"His back is the worst I think." Jack peeled his jacket off, only to find his arm was smudged with blood too. Oh yeah, whatever was on his back was the worst. 

"Can you sit him up then?" Angela asked, rifling through her bag already. Jack nodded before he perched on the couch and easily pulled the stranger up into a sitting position. Angela paled when she looked up to see the stranger's back, and that made Jack raise an eyebrow. She had seen a lot of shit as a vet, what the hell was wrong? He moved to glance at the man's back, and felt like he wanted to be sick. 

There were two long rips down the man's back, one between his shoulder blade and spine on each side. They were oozing dark blood, and it had smeared across the stranger's back, Jack could see dirt clotted around the edges of the wounds, and cast a worried look at Angela. He didn't want to risk trying to get the man to a hospital, the nearest ER was an hour away, and at the rate he was bleeding, Jack wasn't sure he'd make it. 

"Okay, let's get to work then." Angela moved to sit behind the other man. Jack had provided a bowl full of hot water and plenty of different towels for cleaning, along with alcohol, and she set to work cleaning the wounds of dirt and gravel. Jack was just glad that the stranger was out cold for everything. By the time she had finished with that, Jack was really starting to feel the exhaustion of being up so late, but he stayed where he was. Angela then set to work actually stitching the stranger up, moving quickly with her needle, she had steeled a bit but Jack could still see worry pulling at her soft features. She worked quickly though, and soon she was wiping the blood from the stranger's back and fixing bandages over the stitched wounds. 

After that, Jack let the man down and she cleaned up a couple other injuries. A couple things that looked like deep knife wounds in his arms and torso, but the marks on his back were the worst. 

By the time she was done, they were both frazzled, and Jack hardly had the energy to cover the other man with a blanket once more as Angela got to her feet. 

"I still can't imagine what happened to him..." Angela murmured, looking down at the stranger. Jack shrugged as he rubbed the back of his neck, his back hurt like hell, but he wasn't exactly planning on doing anything about it. No he was probably going to make it worse by sleeping in an armchair or something. Yeah that was a great idea. 

"I'll see if I can get something out of him tomorrow. Maybe he's got family looking for him." Jack sighed, his eyes moving from the steady rise and fall of the other man's chest back to Angela. She had a smudge of blood across her cheek, and her hair was falling out of her ponytail, but the young vet still managed to look sweet as she offered Jack a forced smile.

"Well, you should be getting home then. How about I call you tomorrow with an update?" Jack raised an eyebrow as Angela grabbed her bag. She nodded a bit before they started wandering towards the door. 

"Make sure you change his bandages too, they'll need to be kept clean, especially the ones on his back." She reminded the farmer as she hung in the doorway for a moment. 

"I will kid, don't worry. Thank you for coming out though. I know how to stitch myself up, but I don't think I could have handled that sort of thing on my own." He chuckled slightly in a weak attempt to lighten the mood. It earned a tiny smile from Angela as she stepped outside. 

"I'm glad I could help, make sure you call though!" She reminded him, waving as she headed down the steps. Jack couldn't imagine how he would have handled things if he didn't have Angela around to help him out. It was true that he could deal with patching himself up just fine, he wasn't sure about someone else though. 

She bid him goodnight before climbing into her car and heading off. Jack watched her go before he headed back to the living room. Lady had tiptoed over to where the stranger still lay, unresponsive, on the couch. There she had nudged her nose under the hand that hung off of the couch. As much as Jack wasn't a huge people person, he knew that Lady wouldn't get anywhere near anyone she didn't trust, so seeing how she acted around the stranger was reassuring. Jack had always trusted the idea that animals and children were the best judges of character. 

He found a place in an armchair to settle for the night, watching the steady rise and fall of the other man's chest for a long moment. He took another minute to examine the other man as well. Jack felt like an idiot for even thinking about it, but the guy was pretty attractive. With strong features, not to mention with the kind of build that looked like it came out of some fitness magazine. Jack had been a little surprised at first, when he noticed the facial hair while carrying the man inside, but getting a second look at it, he could see the stranger was well groomed. That only raised more questions about what the hell he was doing bleeding out on the ground. 

Jack eventually surrendered to the grips of sleep, and dozed off where he was. It was surprisingly easy to fall asleep so close to someone he didn't know, but Jack managed without much difficulty. It also probably didn't hurt that that was a lot of excitement all at once, it had absolutely drained him. 

He was woken the next morning by the sound of the couch creaking. Jack had always been a light sleeper, and that woke him immediately. He rubbed his eyes a bit before he turned his gaze to the couch, the stranger had pushed himself into a sitting position, and Jack startled a bit as his eyes met a pair of soft brown ones. 

"You're up." It was pretty much the most intelligent thing Jack could muster at the moment. He was still pretty scrambled, and he felt like he needed to say something at least. 

"... I am." Holy shit, Jack blinked a bit at the other man's voice. He wasn't expecting that at all. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, as the guy's voice matched his appearance. But he wasn't really expecting the low tone he got. It still held some gravel from sleep, of course, and all of that caught Jack a bit off guard. Enough so that it gave the other man the time to ask the first question. 

"Who the hell are you?" The stranger arched an eyebrow at Jack, and Jack would have laughed if he was a bit less weirded out. Wasn't he supposed to be the one asking that kind of question?

"I could ask you the same thing. I'm Jack Morrison, and you're the guy who I found bleeding out in a crater." Well... Jack wasn't trying to be as blunt as he sounded. But it just sort of... came out like that. He felt like he sounded like an idiot, but he was far more concerned with getting the answers he was looking for. 

"Gabriel, my name is Gabriel."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter was pretty short, but the next chapter is going to be longer I swear. 
> 
> Feel free to tell me what you think down below, I love comments of any sort haha. And if you had any ideas, go ahead and drop them there if you'd like! I just might consider adding them in!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so updates probably won't be super scheduled, but I'll do my best! I hope you guys like this chapter!

Jack stared at Gabriel, absolutely dumbfounded. He was expecting questions to provide answers, not make him question his sanity and the sanity of the man sitting in front of him.

"So, you expect me to believe you're an angel?" Jack propped his elbows on his knees once more, wondering if he needed to find the number of the mental hospital in the next county. Possibly for himself because, he was kind of believing it. The flash of light, crater, whatever the hell he had seen when Gabriel exhaled. That or the rips down Gabriel's back, the more he thought about it, the more he realized they looked like places where wings would have joined with Gabriel's back.

"Was, an angel." Gabriel corrected, looking away as he shifted, shifting the blanked over him as well. It reminded Jack that the guy still wasn't wearing any clothes, he'd have to do something about that soon. But for the moment he was distracted by the man in front of him, or, ex-angel. Whatever.

"And... You got, kicked out?" Jack felt like an idiot for even asking, but... Honestly what else could explain everything that had happened? Of course he could have argued something about aliens, but Jack didn't believe in aliens for a second. He had been raised in a christian family though... and there was still the tiniest shred of belief that had him still asking questions instead of calling the cops.

"I didn't want to take orders, I'm sure you can understand how that went over." Gabriel's lip curled and Jack looked down by his feet as Lady whined. She had gone back to Jack's side when he had gotten up, but he knew she wanted to go over to Gabriel and stick to his side.

Jack examined the other man for a moment, the way Gabriel's shoulders seemed to slump when he mentioned anything about getting kicked out. There was pain edging at his features, but Jack couldn't be certain that was from talking or from the injuries that peppered his body. If the guy had been crazy, Lady likely wouldn't have been so attached to him either. Jack's instincts told him to trust the guy, but he didn't want to walk into anything blindly. Although pretty much everything told him the other man wasn't lying.

"Any way you can prove what you're telling me?" He asked calmly, raising an eyebrow at the man sitting across from him. Gabriel finally met his eyes again before he shrugged.

"No, my grace is gone, I'm just as human as you are now." He looked away again, and for a split second, Jack could have sworn the look on the other man's face could have been defined as despair. It was only a breath before it was gone again, but it made him want to reach out to the other man, make sure he was okay. He obviously wasn't, but Jack wasn't sure what to do to help. He'd have to work with what he had though, and he'd have to start by believing Gabriel's story. He'd been raised on the idea that angels were as real as anything, but actually coming to terms with the fact that they were real, and that there was one sitting in his living room, was a bit hard.

"Well, I guess I'll have to take you on your word then..." Jack wasn't the most trusting person, but all of the evidence he had pointed to the conclusion that what Gabriel was telling him was true. He was a bit surprised to see shock on the other man's face as he pushed himself to his feet. Jack had been folded up in that armchair for hours and standing wasn't too fun, but he needed to get up at some point.

"Either way, I shouldn't stay here." Jack had just gotten to his feet when Gabriel spoke once more, and he looked over at the other man.

"You need time to heal, Gabriel." Jack pointed out bluntly, folding his arms over his chest and turning to glare at Gabriel. As much as he didn't know about the guy, he wasn't going to be responsible for him running off and dying because he wasn't taking care of himself.

The glare he got in response made a shudder run down his spine. He was starting to see how he other man could be an angel. An archangel no less, with that kind of glare, Jack was pretty sure he fit the part pretty well, just add a pair of wings and some form of weapon and he could see Gabriel going to war against whatever the hell archangels fought. It still made him uneasy though, as that glare was directed at him.

"I'm sure I'm fine. I've dealt with worse things." The ex-angel scowled, his lip curling a bit as he glared Jack down. However, as intimidating as that gaze was, Jack already felt pretty responsible for the other man, he wasn't going to let him wander off to die on his own.

"Have you seen your back?" Jack asked, moving over so he could actually look at the guaze covering the wounds that Angela had sewn up the night before. Sure enough, they were already stained with the ex-angel's blood.

"You said yourself that you're human now. According to the doctor that patched you up, you've lost too much blood to be doing anything." Jack pointed out dryly, before Gabriel could open his mouth again. That earned him another scowl, and the reserved demeanor was quickly melting away into anger. If Gabriel really was an angel, Jack was sure no human had dared to talk to him in such a way before. So he was likely just poking the bear, but he'd keep at it until Gabriel gave in or he stopped giving a shit.

"And why should you care? You owe me nothing." There was a thread of confusion in the other man's dark tone, but Jack just raised an eyebrow at him.

"If you want the self-serving answer, I don't want your death on my hands. If you want the real answer, I don't know. I'd rather make sure you're going to live before I let you wander off." Jack shrugged, rolling his shoulders as he stretched his arms out, fuck he was all sorts of cramped.

He didn't balk at all under the glare he recieved at that answer. It was the truth though, he didn't know why he wanted to make sure the other man was safe. It was just instinct really.

"I mean, unless you'd like to explain to the hospital how you got like this... I'd reccommend staying here." Jack pointed out. Gabriel huffed, before a hand came up to rub over his face. Jack waited patiently for a response this time. He wanted to know if he had finally made his point or if Gabriel was just going to insist again.

"Fine, but don't expect me to stay longer than I need to." Gabriel muttered, his voice partially muffled by the hands over his face. Jack had to bite back a relieved sigh as he nodded. He would need to have Gabriel explain everything to Angela, as he felt like he'd sound like an idiot if he did. But for the moment he needed to tend to Gabriel.

"Can I change those then? You've got to keep everything clean or you'll get an infection." Jack motioned to Gabriel's back. The other man shot him a wary look before nodding slowly. Okay, Jack wandered off to go retrieve what he would need, along with some clothing for Gabriel, seeing as he didn' want the guy wandering around naked.

When he returned, Lady had glued herself to the side of the ex-angel, who didn't look terribly pleased about her nudging at him with her nose. Jack ignored that though, instead moving to sit behind Gabriel and warn him before he peeled the bandaging from Gabriel's back. The larger man hissed a bit in discomfort, but Jack ignored that too. He quietly set to work cleaning and bandaging the other man's wounds once more. It looked incredibly painful, and Jack made a mental note to get Gabriel some painkillers when he got up once more.

"You should probably eat something, you lost a lot of blood last night." Jack commented, smoothing down a piece of medical tape. He was surprised at the scars that littered the other man's skin. He wouldn't have thought angels could scar at all, but he could tell that the scars he would gain from his fall would only add to what already marred his skin. Not that Jack didn't have scars of his own, he was just surprised.

"I'll be fine." Was the gruff response he got. Jack rolled his eyes, turning his attention to the second wound. He felt horrible bandaging them up because since he knew what they were from... It only made him wonder how much Gabriel was hurting, being cast to the ground so easily like that.

"You're human now, you need to eat, sleep and drink to keep yourself alive. I don't know how angels work, but it's a fact of life down here." Jack retorted dryly, tearing a piece of tape off again to properly stick the bandaging in place. He would figure things out, Gabriel could stay in his guest room until he was healed, and Jack could teach him how to cope with being human. Although, he still needed time to work. Speaking of that, he knew Jesse would be around soon to get started, and he wasn't sure how to explain Gabriel in general.

Instead of worrying about all that, Jack just focused his efforts on bandaging Gabriel up, before he moved to work on the smaller wounds. That required him sitting in front of Gabriel, his eyes on what he was doing as he checked the other man over to make sure everything was cleaned and bandaged. When he looked up, he was startled to realize that Gabriel had been watching him. With a pretty intense look too. It made him blink a bit in surprise as he sat back. Something about the look he was getting made him flush a bit in embarrassment. Was he making the ex-angel uncomfortable?

"So, about getting something to eat." Jack huffed, getting to his feet and setting the bandaging aside. He had plenty of stuff, he'd cook if he had to, but he also knew he had to get to work at some point. He had never wished he could call in sick so much before. Sure there were times when Jesse had waved him back inside, insisting he rest or sleep instead of working. At the moment he was perfectly healthy though, and wondered if he could leave Gabriel alone for a few hours.

"You have to have at least something, starving yourself isn't an option." Jack's tone was a bit gruff as he picked up what he had been doing. That included the stack of clothes he had brought with him, those, he handed to Gabriel.

"Fine." Gabriel huffed, taking the clothes from Jack and looking them over quizically. Jack was glad that Gabriel was cooperating and not causing trouble, that was always good. That and he liked to be sure he could take care of everyone that stayed with him.

"Alright, you get dressed then, I'll be in the kitchen." Jack nodded to the clothing Gabriel held before he headed off towards the kitchen. Lady followed him happily, nails clacking on the floor as Jack caught the sound of Gabriel pulling himself up off the couch. Something about the other man intrigued him. And not just the fact that he had been an angel less than 24 hours previously.

Jack made himself busy around the kitchen, feeding and watering Lady as he waited for Gabriel to show up. The sound of footsteps had him straightening up from where he had been giving Lady a belly rub. Jack turned to look over at Gabriel, only to balk a bit in surprise upon seeing the other man. Jack had always had sort of a thing about other people wearing his clothes, but holy shit.

Gabriel hadn't bothered to zip the hoodie he had been given, and everything still seemed to hug his frame. Jack brushed all of those thoughts out of his mind though, instead he motioned for Gabriel to sit at the bar.

"So, what do you want? I've got quite a bit." Jack waved a hand at the kitchen, Gabriel just raised an eyebrow and shrugged. Well he was going to be absolutely no help. Jack had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at the other man. He had to remember that Gabriel was pretty new to the whole, eating, thing.

"Okay, that's helpful." He muttered as he opened the refrigerator to grab an apple. He rolled it across the counter to Gabriel before he turned to get the other man a glass of water. Hopefully that was a start, and Gabriel would actually work with him about something. At least they weren't butting heads too much, so he could count that as a win.

There was the sound of someone pulling into the driveway, and Jack glanced out of the window in time to see Jesse hopping out of his truck. The other man headed right to the barn, and Jack cursed under his breath. Great, he'd have to trust Gabriel alone for a good portion of the day. Apparently his reaction to Jesse pulling in set some alarms off though.

"Is something wrong?" The other man sounded slightly freaked out as Jack turned back around, setting the glass of water in front of him. Gabriel still hadn't even started eating, instead he rolled the apple between his hands, watching Jack with a scowl.

"No, I just have to go take care of the animals for the day. You'll be alright on your own for a bit?" Jack raised an eyebrow as he leaned back against the counter. He had plenty to do, but with Jesse's help it wouldn't take too long. During the harvest he worked from dawn until dusk, but for the time being, he just needed to make sure the animals were cared for and that nothing was getting into the corn.

Jack didn't know if he should be relieved or not when Gabriel nodded, so instead he just did his best not to worry, heading off to actually get dressed before he started his day. He couldn't clean out stalls in his pajamas.

Once he was actually dressed, Jack trotted back down the stairs, and was relieved to find that Gabriel was in fact, eating, when he passed through the kitchen again. Lady pulled herself up from the floor and trotted after him as he headed out the door. Jack was just a little bit distracted as he headed across the driveway and into the barn. Jesse was already there, saddling up Ruby. He looked over when the door opened to raise an eyebrow at Jack.

"You're late." There was a teasing tone to the younger man's voice as he sinched the saddle up carefully. Ruby was calm under his steady hands, turning her head every now and then to nose at his flannel shirt or just nudge him.

"I was distracted." Jack scoffed, retrieving General's tack from the other room. He and Jesse always started the day by excersizing the horses. They'd take The General and Ruby out to walk around the corn fields, and then let all four horses out into the big field off the other side of the barn. The other two horses were a pair of massive clydesdales that neither Jack nor Jesse could actually ride. So they got their excersize on their own, or on a lead.

"No need to elaborate boss." Jesse scoffed a bit, adjusting Ruby's stirrups to the proper length before he fished a peppermint out of his pocket for her. Jack knew that Jesse had a soft spot for all the horses, but Ruby in general. Hell, Jesse was part of the reason Jack had kept her at all. The graceful morgan horse had been a neglect case that Angela rescued. The vet needed someone to foster Ruby, so Jack took her in. He already had The General, a retired racehorse, and the team. So he figured one more couldn't hurt for a couple of months. And then the horse grew on both Jesse and Jack.

"Jesse, really?" Jack scoffed a bit at the younger man's insinuation as he lead The General from his stall so he could get him ready. Jesse just shot Jack a teasing grin and pulled himself up into the saddle. Ruby was just a little bit more attached to Jesse, so they usually just stuck to their routine.

"I wasn't suggestin' anythin'." Jesse hummed, feigning innocence as Jack rolled his eyes, fixing General's bridle in place before he got around to actually saddling the horse. It didn't take him long to do that, before he was pulling himself up into the saddle easily and he nodded towards the open barn door.

"Let's actually get some work done today. I know you love slacking but we do have things to do." Jack shot back, nudging General towards the door. Jesse just snorted and shook his head before urging Ruby in the same direction.

They rode in companionable silence, Lady trotting along beside them, as usual. Jesse's attention was mainly on Ruby, but Jack's was on the crops. There were fences, of course, but sometimes things still got around the fences and into the corn. Thankfully, most of their usual circuit passed without incident. Sometimes a fox or some sort of other animal would dig under the fence and uproot some stalks, but everything seemed to be in order at that time. Until...

"What in the fuck is that?"

Jack was about to ask what the hell Jesse was talking about when he saw the crater again. Right.

Although, it was lighter out than when he saw it last. And Lady loped out in front of them to sniff around the edges of the crater as Jack got a good look at it. He noted two differences in what he saw as opposed to the night before. Such as the most noteable: Some sort of fine opalescent dust covered the ground. It didn't look like anything Jack had ever seen. And that aside, there were several black feathers scattered around. They were huge too, about the length of his forearm. Some of them were half-burnt, but it made him wonder what the hell Gabriel had looked like when he had wings.

"Looks like some of the neighborhood kids were probably fucking around." Jack huffed out. Scowling as he easily slid down from his horse. Jesse stayed where he was, arching a skeptical eyebrow. Jack just shrugged as he wandered over, stopping by the edge of the crater and dragging a finger through the thin coating of dust. He wondered if it had anything to do with Gabriel's afformentioned 'grace'. It stuck to his hand, and Jack suddenly wondered if he'd have any luck getting it off at all.

"What about those feathers? What the hell do you think that could'a come from?" Jesse asked as he turned Ruby so he could get a good look at one of them. Jack shrugged, stepping down into the crater to pick one up. It was soft under his fingers. It almost felt like he wasn't holding anything at all, it was so light.

"They're fake Jesse, this thing is plastic." Jack waved a hand as he dropped it once more. He wandered back to his horse and got back into the saddle once more. He knew that Jesse probably wasn't entirely convinced, by the look on the other man's face, but Jack wasn't going to out Gabriel. That was pretty much the solid evidence he needed though. The feather he had been holding was definitely real. But Jesse fell silent once more as they walked the horses past the hole and Lady bounded after them once more.

~~~

Aside from that, the day passed without incident. There were no more questions about the odd crater, and they got everything done that needed doing. Jack sent Jesse home a little early, before he made sure the barn was set for the night and went back inside to check on Gabriel. He had been gone for several hours, and hoped the other man was doing alright. He figured Gabe needed some time to process as well, it likely wasn't easy to have fallen from heaven. Jack couldn't even fathom what that felt like. He could imagine it wasn't a fun time though, and wasn't surprised to see Gabriel stretched out on the couch when he returned.

The ex-angel was still awake though, and Jack was glad to see that, even if Gabriel was glaring at the ceiling like it had killed someone he cared about.

"You alright over there?" Jack asked somewhat loudly as he toed his boots off at the door. He'd have to get Gabriel clothes and shoes at some point if he was going to be staying. He didn't think much else that he owned would fit the other man. That was going to be interesting to say the least. He wasn't sure what kind of taste fallen angels had, but he hoped he could figure something out.

"I'm fine." Was the gruff response. Gabriel seemed even more closed off than he had been earlier. Jack wasn't too surprised. He wasn't expecting Gabriel to be immediately open with him after all. But maybe he was hoping for the guy to be at least a little more friendly. Jack reminded himself that angels weren't the most friendly creatures in the world, especially not the archangels. They were warriors, not cherubs. Either way, he kind of wished that the ex-archangel wasn't about to start bottling up everything that had happened to him. Hell, Jack didn't even know the real reason that he had been kicked out, just that Gabriel thought it was his fault.

"You up for eating something else? I was going to make dinner." Jack asked from the kitchen as Lady trotted off to go sniff at Gabriel again. Jack looked up when the other man made a disgusted noise, only to notice that Lady was licking Gabriel's face rather enthusiastically. Jack stifled a smile as he watched Gabriel failing to fend off the dog.

"Can you get her off-!" Gabriel turned his face away from the dog and Jack forced down a laugh. Seeing an archangel, who had undoubtably seen more conflict than any human, failing to fend off a dog... It was almost cute.

"Lady! C'mere you dumbass!" There was a note of laughter to Jack's voice, and that earned him a glare from Gabriel as the dog pushed off of him and galloped back to the kitchen. She put her paws up on Jack's abdomen, demanding attention as he leaned down to scratch the top of her head. Once he pulled away once more, she dropped her paws down to the floor again and went to find a spot to lay on the tile near the edge of the counter.

"Anyways, as I was saying, dinner?" Jack looked over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at Gabriel. The other man was busy wiping his face off with his sleeve. Jack looked away again to look in the fridge and see what they had. He was used to cooking for one, so there were always leftovers, but he wanted to actually cook something proper for his guest.

~~~

He ended up getting no help from Gabriel whatsoever. Apparently angels weren't any help when it came to making dinner suggestions. And Jack just ended up cooking something simple. He figured it was better to start the ex-angel off gently with the whole 'you have to eat now' kind of thing. He wasn't going to do anything terribly out-of-the-box. Not that that was his kind of thing anyways, but still.

They ended up sitting at the counter together instead of bothering with the dining room. Jack watched Gabriel poke at his food quietly, while Lady leaned against his legs.

"You alright?" Jack asked, Gabriel hadn't been terribly vocal since they had talked about what to have for dinner. And even then he didn't talk more than he had to. Jack knew that logically, he shouldn't have been worried. But he was. The guy was too damn quiet for Jack to consider it normal. He had one arm braced against the counter, head down and shoulders slumped as he pushed potatoes around on his plate. Something was obviously wrong.

Jack was going to take a shot in the dark and blame the 'fallen angel' thing.

"Hm?" Gabriel looked up from where he had been staring rather blankly at his plate. Jack quirked an eyebrow at him as he set his own fork down, sitting back in his stool and folding his arms.

"Something's up. Care to talk about it?" Jack asked bluntly. He wasn't going to tiptoe around. If Gabriel wanted to talk about it, Jack was perfectly good at listening. If not... Well, Jack couldn't force him to talk, but he could make it clear he was there if Gabriel decided he did need a shoulder to lean on. Jack knew absolutely nothing about him, but he wanted to know a lot more. It would be a while until Gabriel was fully healed after all.

"No." His tone was clipped as a scowl darkened his face again. Jack was, again, reminded of the fact that the other man had once been a warrior of cosmic proportions. That glare made a shudder run down his spine, but he didn't bat an eyelash.

"Well. Either way you need to eat something, we talked about this." Jack pointed out, shifting forward once more to look Gabriel in the eye. The ex-angel still didn't look too impressed with him. Jack would argue that he was just looking out for the guy. But he knew he was probably just annoying Gabriel more than anything.

Gabriel fell silent once more, but he started eating again so Jack considered it good. Jack finished up a bit before Gabriel, getting up to take care of his plate and glass with a faint hum. It wasn't terribly late, but he figured it was due time for both of them to be turning in. He wasn't sure what Gabriel had done all day, but Jack could probably lend him some books or something so the ex-angel could keep himself amused. That and it may help him understand a bit more about humans.

So, once the other man had finished as well, Jack did the dishes. Gabriel's silence made him a bit uneasy, but Jack did his best to ignore it. He wasn't going to force conversation. Hell, he didn't even know how! They didn't exactly have any common interests, as far as Jack could tell. That and chatting about war probably wasn't the best thing. Sure he had been a soldier too, but facing down other mortal men was undoubtably different than whatever Gabriel had fought in his time.

"I have to turn in for the night, I've got more to do tomorrow, so I'd like to sleep a bit." Jack set the last dish in the drying rack before he turned back to Gabriel. The other man blinked at him before he nodded a bit.

"Here, I'll get you settled before I turn in." He toweled his hands off, tossed the towel onto the counter and waved for Gabriel to follow him. The other man raised an eyebrow but got up to follow Jack as the farmer lead him towards the stairs. Lady trotted along after Gabriel, and Jack glanced back over at the two as they reached the upstairs hall. His own room was all the way to the end.

He had a guest room though, and an office. But the office was more of a clutter room. He did sit down to do taxes there sometimes, but usually it just ended up being a storage room unless he needed something.

"People don't stay often, so it's probably a little dusty, but a bed is a hell of a lot better than the couch." Jack opened the guest room door with a bit of a huff. Lady wound around his legs to go sniff at things. It was relatively simple, bed, desk, bedside table, and a bookshelf against one wall. There was another bookshelf downstairs, and that one was more frequently used. But Jack was glad that he had held onto the older ones.

"Feel free to make yourself comfortable, help yourself to any of the books." Jack waved a hand to the bookshelf as he wandered across the room to open one of the windows, let out a bit of the dust. The night was warm enough anyways, and he could hear the crickets and the peepers when he opened the window. He kept his own window open most of the time for the same reason.

"If you get cold, there are extra blankets in the hall closet, bathroom is two doors down on the left." Jack thought a bit, was there anything else to cover?

"If you need anything, my room is the last one on the end of the hall." Jack motioned in that direction as he turned around to look at Gabriel. The other man had leaned on the doorway, arms folded across his chest as he watched Jack. The sight of the open hoodie reminded him of the fact he'd have to get clothes for the other man, and Jack made a mental note to run into town the next chance he got.

"Why are you being so kind?" Gabriel seemed suspicious, his brows knitting together as he shifted his weight. Jack shrugged slightly, shooting the other man a confused look.

"It's a human thing, called sympathy. Just, don't question it alright? Get some rest." Jack shook his head a bit and stepped past Gabriel once more to head to his own room. He had gotten a little ways down the hall when he heard the other man's steps on the slightly creaky floor.

"Thank you."

The thanks wasn't actually something Jack was expecting. He glanced over at his shoulder, meeting Gabriel's eyes for a moment before the other man looked away.

"As I said, don't worry about it." Jack shrugged, before he turned back down the hall and ducked into his room. A moment after he had closed the door, there was the sound of the guest room door shutting down the hall. Jack let out a low sigh, looking down at Lady as she crossed the room and hopped up on Jack's bed.

"What do you think girl?" Jack asked idly, walking over to his closet to retrieve some bedclothes. He stripped off his dirty clothes and put on the clean ones before he went to open his window. The quiet was much more comfortable when filled with the sound of the night. The frogs in the little pond a couple hundred yards from the house, the sound of the breeze stirring the corn, it was something that always put Jack at ease.

"I think it's gonna take some time for him to open up." Jack sighed, wandering over to the bed to flop down and pull the covers over himself. Lady wiggled over to rest her head against his arm, looking up at him with big brown eyes as she let out a tired little huff.

"You too?" Jack chuckled a bit, resting his hand against the ruff of her neck as he got comfortable. He wondered if Gabriel would ever be comfortable around him. Some part of him desperately wanted him to be. If Gabriel could be comfortable around him they could get somwehere. Maybe he could even help the other man cope.


	3. Chapter 3

The next couple of days were interesting to say the least. Jack saw books laying around, one on the counter, a different one on the coffee table. He knew Gabriel was reading to say the least, and he actually saw the other man wander outside a couple of times when Jesse wasn't around. Jack could see that there was still something eating at him, but he also knew that Gabriel couldn't be forced to talk. All Jack could really do was offer the other man distractions when he could.

They had started to talk more. Jack told stories about growing up human, Gabriel made dry comments about trivial things. Stupid mistakes that could have been easily avoided. And Jack constantly reminded the other man of what it meant to be human. Humans were inherently imperfect, and Jack had plenty of things to reference in that case. 

Gabriel was relaxing a bit though. He talked more, he didn't look as down all the time. He got a lot better about telling Jack when he was in pain or when he needed something. And Jack got the guy some clothes. Gabriel pointed out that he liked the hoodie, so Jack had gotten him a couple. Along with some much needed shoes. It was good to see that Gabriel was bouncing back even a little. Hell, Gabriel even started following the same schedule as Jack did, and they started eating breakfast together. 

"So Jesse's off today, did you want to tag along on my morning circuit? See the farm?" Jack asked as he set his plate in the sink. He'd do dishes that evening. Actually he and Gabriel would probably end up doing dishes together, they had gotten into the habit of that. 

"Dare I ask why?" Gabriel piped up right next to him. Jack was still getting used to the fact that Gabriel didn't make a damn sound when he moved. Unless the floor itself creaked, Gabriel's footsteps were always silent. Jack hoped he'd get used to it relatively soon, as it was he was having trouble adjusting, he didn't need to have a heart attack any time soon. 

"It was just an idea, I figured it'd be good to get you out of the house for a while. You've taken to sulking and you should probably be getting some fresh air." Jack shrugged a bit, Not looking over at the other man as he spoke, he could feel Gabriel glaring at him and didn't need to see it. Jack had gotten used to the scowls and glares, it kind of helped that Gabriel's resting expression was a murderous glare, as it reminded Jack that he wasn't always pissed off, it was just his face. 

"I don't sulk. But sure. Sounds interesting." Gabriel nodded a bit. Jack looked up then, flashing Gabriel a faint smile. He was glad that he could actually coax the other man outside. He didn't want Gabriel falling into some depression while he was busy with the farm. So he planned to actually get Gabriel a bit more involved if he could, and that included taking Gabe on his circuit in the morning. Maybe he'd show Gabriel how it was done all over the farm. Surely the other man could benefit from a day spent outdoors?

"You need to put on some proper clothes though. I wouldn't recommend one of your hoodies, it's hot out." Jack pointed out. Gabriel had taken to wearing more hoodies than a pubescent middle school kid. It was almost amusing to see Gabriel sulking around like some moody teenager. The downside to that was that Gabriel constantly worried Jack. The man was constantly wondering if Gabriel was even any semblance of okay. Sure he put up a stable front when Jack was around at least, but how deep did that stability really go?

Jack shook off his thoughts, watching Gabriel roll his eyes as he pushed away from the counter a bit. He didn't linger though, he wandered over to the door, Lady getting up from where she had flopped on the cool tile of the kitchen floor. The ex-angel seemed to have deemed the conversation over, and Jack was left, once again, wondering about archangel social skills. But he didn't think about it too much. Instead he focused on pulling his boots on while Lady danced around by the door, her attention flickering between her owner and the thing in between her and the outdoors. 

"I'll be in the barn, meet me there when you're ready." Jack called as he opened the door and let Lady out in front of himself. He caught Gabriel's nod before he headed outside to feed the chickens and get things done. The farmer always fed the chickens first, it didn't take too long, and it gave them a bit of time to actually be up and at it before he went to get eggs after taking the horses out. 

He did just that before he headed to the barn to get the horses fed and let Penny and Pat out. The Clydesdales wouldn't be going on the ride with them, so they'd need to be let out for the day. He was glad fall was coming up, so they'd be getting more excersize. Jack was usually asked to help out at fall events, which usually consisted of hay rides. Both at fairs and any sort of halloween events. Even winter events sometimes. Those were busy months for him and the team. 

When he got to the barn, it wasn't long before Gabriel showed up. Jack looked over at him from where he was letting Pat out of his stall. Gabriel raised an eyebrow at the huge horse, and Jack offered him a faint smile. Despite his advice, Gabriel still wore a grey hoodie, and Jack almost laughed at the sight. Of course the ex-angel was going to go against Jack's suggestion. Why shouldn't he?

"Don't worry, we're not taking the team. These two just need to be let out for the day so they can stretch their legs." Jack reached up to give the horse a pat on the nose before he lead him off towards the opposite end of the barn where the door opened out to the field. 

"We'll be taking Ruby and The General." Jack let Pat off of his lead and gave the large horse a nudge out the door. The animal took off at a brisk pace, head high as he wandered out to the field. Jack left the door open as he turned to go get Penny. Only to see that one of the barn cats, was twining around Gabriel's legs. Gabe looked a little alarmed, and Jack raised an eyebrow at him. The huge brown tomcat, lovingly dubbed 'Eastwood' by Jesse, was purring like a luxury car. Which was a surprise, as the tom didn't even like Jack that much, let alone a complete stranger. Lady, however, had retreated to a pile of hay, watching the scene lazily as she laid her head on her paws. 

"I see you've found a friend." Jack commented with a light smile. He walked back over to Penny's stall to let her out too. While he did that Gabriel leaned down to wave the cat away, only for Eastwood to nudge into his hand without hesitation. Jack noticed the taller man scowl at the cat from the corner of his eye. 

"He hates people you know. Except Jesse, he's usually the only one Eastwood puts up with though." Jack pointed out, attaching Penny to lead to bring her outside as well. Gabriel grumbled something under his breath, but the cat seemed keen on sticking to the ex-angel.

He murmured a bit to Penny as she nudged against his shoulder. She was docile as all hell but she was curious, and as Jack led her out of her stall, she headed towards Gabriel instead of the door. Gabriel had been preoccupied with the cat when he straightened, and came face-to-face with the horse. The ex-angel startled slightly, before Penny bowed her head and nudged her nose against his broad chest. 

"What the hell?" Gabriel let out a strangled noise as he was forced to take a half-step back. Jack stifled a smile with his hand and gently tugged on the horse's lead. She didn't budge, instead she nudged more incessantly against Gabriel. 

"She wants you to pet her. I'd suggest you do that before she pushes you over." Jack chuckled slightly and patted the horse's side. Gabriel shot Jack a look over the clydesdale's head before he did just that. He ran a hand down her forehead, and she snuffled into his hand. Gabriel seemed to relax slightly. 

"C'mon girl, let's go." Jack gave another light tug, only earning a snort in response. When he tried again she stamped her hoof and tossed her head. Gabriel leaned back a little when she did that, before Jack raised an eyebrow at the other man. 

"I think you'll have to walk out with us." He offered Gabriel a lopsided smile and the other man glared at him. It wasn't as bad as the first few glares he had gotten though, more exasperated than anything. Jack figured it could have been worse, but Gabriel ended up walking with them to the barn doors, before Jack urged Penny outside. She reluctantly pulled herself away from Gabriel to go run around with Pat for the day. It was then that Jack lead Gabriel over to meet the other two horses. 

"Here, you should get used to Ruby, I think you'd be better off with her." Jack lead Gabriel over to the horse who was hanging about in her stall. She perked up when they got to the door of her stall, before she came trotting over to stick her head out and snuffle at Gabriel's shirt. 

Jack went to go retrieve the tack for General. The ex-racehorse seemed interested in the ex-angel as well, poking his head out of the stall to watch Gabriel interact with Ruby. It didn't take long for Jack to retrieve the tack, before he wandered back over, Gabriel was frowning into Ruby's stall, his brow creased with distaste. 

"Why does she have light streaks?" He asked as Jack opened General's stall to lead the horse out and saddle him up. It took Jack a second to figure out what Gabriel was talking about. Ruby was riddled with scars. There was actually a really large one on one of her flanks that Gabriel probably couldn't see from his angle. 

"They're scars, she's a rescue." Jack shrugged, making sure General's blanket was adjusted properly before he hefted the saddle onto the horse. 

"The man who bred her neglected her and the other horses in her case. She got caught in some barbed wire when she was a filly, the idiot never took care of it. Hell, he was the one that dumped the barbed wire in that sorry excuse for a pasture he had. She was in pretty bad shape when they found her." He shook his head a bit, scowling as he sinched up General's saddle properly. 

"She looked like hell when I got her, still healing in places, she had gravel stuck in her flank where Angela had to get it out, I didn't even know if she was going to survive, it took her a month to get used to Jesse and I. Hell, it's a miracle they didn't put her down as soon as they rescued her." Jack sighed, moving to adjust everything before he set to work with General's reins and bridle. 

"Who would have animals they refused to take care of?" Gabriel frowned, looking over at Jack with confusion evident on his face. Jack shrugged a little as he ran his hand down General's nose. He had been asking himself the same question since the day Ruby had been put into his care. She'd rebounded well though, and while she could be skittish around some people, she had warmed up impressively since Jack had first agreed to foster her. 

"I don't know. He's not the only one though." Jack sighed, giving General a pat before he walked off to get Ruby's tack. Gabriel was still scowling when he returned, casting another confused look at Jack as he opened the door to the stall and Ruby stepped out delicately. Gabriel's gaze fell on the large discolored patch on her flank as Jack started to saddle her up properly. 

Gabriel didn't look pleased at the sight of the scar, but he kept his mouth shut. He seemed to have receeded a bit, thinking instead of voicing his concerns. Jack didn't ask about it. Instead he finished saddling Ruby up before he raised an eyebrow at Gabriel. The farmer would rather keep things going according to schedule than stand around talking about how Ruby was neglected all morning. 

"C'mon, need a hand up?" Jack offered a hand, only for Gabriel to quirk an eyebrow at him. He got to watch as Gabriel easily pulled himself up into the saddle. It was one practiced, easy movement, as if Gabriel had been doing it for years. Lady seemed a bit amused by the sight of Gabriel on a horse, trotting around Ruby with a happy dog grin. 

"I've been riding since before your bloodline was even a thought." It was a slightly teasing scoff, and Jack rolled his eyes a bit. He had just been trying to help out. Did archangels have some sort of riding academy or something? He didn't think so, so Jack had offered in case Gabriel hadn't ridden a horse before. 

"You didn't know how to work a shower four days ago, hush, mister high and mighty." Jack snorted, rolling his eyes as he lead General outside, closing the barn doors once Gabriel had gotten Ruby outside as well. Jack glanced up at Gabriel as he guided Ruby out, only to notice a faint flush on the other man's cheeks, Gabriel's eyes were glued to the pommel of his saddle. Was that, embarrassment? Jack had to stop himself from asking. He ended up just pulling himself up on General and pointing Gabriel in the right direction. 

"I ride a circuit every morning, usually just around the fields, sometimes around the edges of the pasture to check the fencing." Jack explained idly as they headed off, the horses were pretty used the the route already, and easily paced beside each other as Jack glanced over at Gabriel. Gabriel's gaze flickered between Ruby's ears, the corn, and Jack. 

"Why?" He raised an eyebrow, and Jack shrugged a bit in response. 

"It's a good way to make sure nothing is getting into the corn, keep tabs on the fence around it to make sure that doesn't need repairs either." He figured it was a pretty good system. "That and it's a good way to make sure these two get their excersise." Jack added, patting the side of General's neck. Gabriel seemed satisfied with that explaination, giving a slight nod of understanding as he glanced down at the horse once more. 

They fell into a comfortable silence after that, Jack's attention was mostly caught by making sure there were no deer or animal tracks in the corn. The fence usually did a pretty good job of deterring the animals, but sometimes it just didn't work as well as he wanted it to. 

However, his attention to the crops kept him from realizing that they had gotten within sight of the crater he had found Gabriel in the night the archangel fell. His attention moved to the other man when Ruby came to a quick stop, looking a tiny bit alarmed as she shifted nervously. Gabriel had probably jerked a bit on the reins without thinking and startled her. 

"Shit, sorry, I forgot to warn you-" Jack cut himself off when it was obvious Gabriel wasn't listening. He nudged Ruby forward again, though the horse seemed to be picking up on the other man's white-knuckled grip on the reins. Jack watched as they got close to the thrown up dirt and scattered feathers. A few of them had been blown away but there were still plenty strewn through the dirt. Jack followed a ways behind, frowning a bit as Gabriel slid down from Ruby and walked slowly to the edge of the large indent in the earth where the opalescent dust still clung to the ground in some places. 

Gabriel crouched down quietly, hesitantly reaching down to touch one of the spots where the dust was thickest with the pads of his fingers. He brought his hand back up with a frown, and Jack could see the pain written across his features again. The next thing the ex-angel went for was one of the large feathers, picking it up gingerly before he straightened once more. Jack didn't dare say a word, he wanted to give Gabriel a moment if the other man needed it. Gabriel turned the feather in his hands, still dead silent, before Jack watched the beautiful feather crumpled in Gabriel's hand. It sent a pang of sadness through him as he finally dared to dismount from The General. If he could offer any sort of support he wanted to, it was obvious the scene was a lot for Gabriel to take in. Even Lady hung back around The General's legs, watching Gabriel with apparent confusion. 

"Hey, you alright?" Jack asked, cursing himself for sounding so stupid. He already knew the answer but he wasn't sure else how to ask. He just ended up reaching out to gently rest a hand on Gabriel's shoulder, hoping to ground the other man a bit. If Jack could help Gabriel with whatever he was coping with, he wanted to. But he didn't know how to voice that desire without sounding like an idiot or like he pitied the ex-angel. 

"Fine." Jack felt his throat tighten a bit when Gabriel shrugged him off, dropping the crushed feather before he turned away from Jack. He wasn't sure what else to do as Gabriel mounted up again, obviously waiting for Jack to follow, but not glancing at the farmer at all. Lady whined, shifting on her paws and looking between Jack and Gabriel anxiously. 

Jack did end up going back to The General, though he offered Lady a pat before he actually got on the horse once more. That didn't stop him from casting Gabriel worried glances as the other man rode ahead silently though. The other man stared straight ahead, and Jack was left wondering helplessly what he was even thinking about. Could he even begin to understand what Gabriel was going through? No, the answer to that was no. Nobody could. But Jack would be damned if he'd let Gabriel fight through it alone though, he was determined to do something, even if all he could offer was a distraction from whatever was going on in Gabriel's head. 

The rest of the ride was silent, and Gabriel ended up ducking back inside as soon as they returned to the barn. Jack didn't blame him. He had wanted to show Gabriel how to handle a horse, maybe do a few other things, but hadn't been dead set on it. So after he gave each of the horses a good brush he let them loose into the pasture and went about the rest of the day. Granted, he did so with a heavy weight on his mind. He only came up with a few ideas on how to help though. And a couple of them were just... stupid. 

He couldn't just insist that Gabriel talk to him, try to force the other man to open up. Jack would have bet everything he owned that trying that would be the most counterproductive approach. Gabriel would probably only shut down more if someone tried to force things out of him. Jack wondered if he could just wait for Gabriel to come to him. However, that was just as unlikely. If Gabriel ever came to him it would probably mean something horrible. Jack didn't want to think about what that might entail. So, he was once again left with the option of distracting him and hoping for the best. Maybe he could coax a little out of Gabriel now and then, not force him to open up, just encourage him to. Gabriel was locked away from everyone else when it came to emotions, Jack wanted to actually do something about that. 

When Jack returned to the house, Gabriel wasn't in the living room or kitchen. That left the other man's room, but Jack wasn't about to go bargaing in there asking if Gabe was okay. If the other man needed space he could have some space. Lady could tell something was wrong, trotting around the living room and sniffing at everything before she returned to the kitchen to flop down by her food bowl, looking upset. Jack crouched down to scratch behind her ears sympathetically. He had gotten attached enough to worry about Gabriel too, and he knew how she felt.

Well on the bright side Jack could at least empathize with his dog, if not Gabriel. 

Jack ended up doing a bit of housekeeping to keep himself busy, dishes, some tidying up around the place. But his mind kept wandering back to the other man and what he could possibly do to help him cope. Sure he had already exhausted his options, but there had to be something else right? Lady apparently thought so too, and would wander over to sit at the bottom of the stairs, as if she was waiting for Gabriel to come back down. 

Eventually, Jack couldn't stand it any more and ended up wandering up the stairs to go see if Gabriel would come out of his room. Lady followed him, seeming eager to get a chance to see Gabriel again. Jack was sure he would have already died of lonlieness if he hadn't adopted the dog, and he hoped that Gabriel might be able to find the same comfort with her. 

As it was, Jack ended up leaning a bit against the doorframe before he knocked lightly on the door. It crossed his mind how he felt a bit like a father trying to connect with an emotional teenager, but quickly brushed the thought out of his mind. Gabriel wasn't lamenting over some breakup, he had been cast from heaven. Which was more serious was probably evident to anyone with three or more brain cells. 

Jack wasn't expecting the door to open at all, and blinked a bit in surprise when it did. Lady immediately started nudging at Gabriel's legs, snuffling at him as if she could smell the emotional distress. 

"I just wanted to check in, it's been a while." Jack shrugged, letting his eyes search Gabriel's face. The taller man's eyes were a bit red, a little watery too. Had he been crying? The thought sent a pang through Jack. But he figured it was best to leave the topic alone for the moment. Maybe asking if the previous warrior of heaven had been crying was a bad idea. 

"I told you, I'm fine Morrison." Gabriel huffed. He didn't sound angry or cold, just tired. It made Jack want to reach out, tell the other man that everything was going to be alright and that they'd work through it somehow. He refrained though, Jack had a feeling that coddling Gabriel would get him nowhere too. At least, doing it so obviously wouldn't. 

"Well, you were giving Lady some anxiety too, so..." He trailed off and glanced down at the dog. "I was wondering though, do you maybe want to help with dinner? You've got to learn to cook sometime." It was a weak attempt to lighten the mood, get Gabriel out of his room again and get his mind off of the feathers scattered through the dirt. Jack still felt bad about forgetting to warn Gabriel. If he'd given the other man a head's up, would he still have reacted the same way? 

The other man considered the offer for a moment, instinctively bending down a little to offer Lady a scratch under her chin. Jack thought it looked almost like Gabriel was reassuring the dog he was okay too. 

"Sure, it couldn't hurt." Gabriel seemed a little reluctant to leave his room, but Jack flashed him an encouraging smile before he gestured towards the stairs. 

"Well, I'll be in the kitchen whenever you're ready." He hummed a bit, before he turned to head off in that direction. Lady licked Gabriel's hand sweetly before she trotted off after the farmer, nails clicking on the wood floors as she followed Jack down the stairs. 

Jack did return to the kitchen, fishing around in the fridge for something to actually make for dinner. Something that wouldn't be too hard to cook or teach Gabriel to prepare. He wasn't about to start the other man off on something complex. So he ended up settling on steak and salad, he considered potatoes, but they'd already had potatoes twice over the time Gabriel had stayed. That was just too many potatoes. 

He had just gotten to setting out what they'd need when Gabriel came wandering down the stairs. He still looked a little upset, but Jack could tell he was doing his best to keep things together. So he waved Gabriel over to explain what they were doing. Lady wandered over to her usual place, out of the way to watch the two of them. 

Gabriel seemed content to listen to Jack explain, naming spices and whatnot as he showed the other man around the kitchen. He then decided that instead of giving Gabriel a job, he'd just help out. That way Jack could make sure he was absorbing things properly. So he decided to start with actually cooking the steak, giving Gabriel a few pointers as he set the cut of meat on the cutting board and gesturing to the spice containers that sat on the counter. 

"Anyways, could you hand me the salt?" Jack didn't want to reach in front of him, and it didn't take Gabriel more than a couple of seconds to remember which one Jack had pointed out as the salt shaker. 

This system went relatively well for a while. 

"Uhm, garlic, and then I think we're done." Jack glanced over at Gabriel, only for the taller man to put the paprika in his hand. Jack shook his head a bit and handed it back. 

"No, that's paprika, not even close." He corrected. Well, things couldn't be a breeze forever. And Gabriel forgetting which spice was which wasn't too bad, though, Jack supposed maybe labeling the spice containers would be a good idea. He had a bunch of un-labeled little glass containers, as he tended to buy loose spices with everything else when he went to the farmers market. 

The next thing Gabriel put in his hand was celery salt. 

"Okay closer in color, not in taste." Jack laughed a little, shaking his head as Gabriel scowled and put the seasoning back on the rack. He was torn between letting Gabriel figure it out, or just give him a few pointers. He could also get it himself, but he wanted Gabriel to figure things out too. 

"This one?" Gabriel looked a little exasperated at that point as he held up a container of oregano. Jack shook his head before he simply reached over past Gabriel to grab the garlic, accidentally brushing against the other man as he pulled back with the little jar in hand. 

"Not even close." Jack bit back a faint laugh at Gabriel rolling his eyes and putting the oregano back where it had come from. And he ended up nudging Gabriel lightly with his elbow. 

"Y'know, for someone who was an all-knowing being, you'd think you'd know the difference between oregano and garlic." Jack teased lightly, turning his attention back to the steak as Gabriel scoffed at him. That seemed to be a pretty common sound, which Jack usually deserved. He blinked a bit in surprise when Gabriel elbowed him in return. 

"The different spices weren't included in my programming." Gabriel retorted, pulling a faint smile from Jack as he picked up the cutting board to take the steak over to the stove. 

"So he does have a sense of humor, huh." Jack flashed Gabriel a joking grin, earning another eye roll as he noticed the shadow of a smirk tugging at Gabriel's features. Jack turned his attention briefly back to the steak as he placed it into the pan, letting it sizzle before it calmed down and he turned his attention back to his companion. 

"Well, were knife skills included in your programming?" Jack asked lightly, retrieving a knife from the knife block and gesturing to the pile of vegetables that sat on the counter, waiting to be chopped and turned into a salad. 

"If you count the lethal kind." Gabriel grimaced slightly, but there was amusement in his eyes, and it urged Jack on a bit. If he could get the other man relaxed enough to joke around, could he get a smile out of him? Hell, could he even get a laugh if he tried?

"I don't think the carrots are about to try to kill you, but I'm sure that's a start." He snorted, grabbing two clean cutting boards before he placed one in front of Gabriel, along with a knife. He did get an actual plain look of amusement at that comment though. It shouldn't have made him pause the way it did either. 

"Are any of the other vegetables going to try to kill me?" Gabriel asked, and Jack caught the edge of mirth in his voice. It egged him on more as he grabbed a carrot from the pile. 

"Onions can make you cry, but we're not adding in any of those so I think you're safe." He laughed, handing Gabriel a carrot as well to show him how it was done. However, he immediately noticed Gabriel's grip on the knife and had to stifle a real laugh as he reached over, placing his hand over Gabriel's. 

"You're not killing the vegetables, you're slicing them, so you've got to adjust a bit." He set his knife down, pulling Gabriel's hand over to reposition it properly on the knife. He was about to speak again when he glanced up at Gabriel. It was then that he realized their shoulders were pressed together and he still hadn't released the other man's hand. Which he did relatively quickly when he got an odd look from Gabriel. 

"Keep in mind you're slicing not stabbing, it's a whole new concept." He cleared his throat before he turned back to his own cutting board and began walking Gabriel though the steps of actually slicing vegetables. The other man seemed fine with the knife in his hand, and quickly got a handle on the concept of chopping vegetables. At that point Jack set about teaching him how to properly cut up different things. And before they knew it, dinner was finished. 

They ended up eating at the bar again, Gabriel pushed his food around on his plate as usual. But it was more to investigate his work than to avoid eating. Jack was at least glad that Gabriel had gotten used to that aspect of human life. He couldn't just... not eat. 

The silence that fell over them was comfortable, for once. Usually while they ate they were either avoiding talking or chatting about trivial crap. For once it was just nice to relax into the silence while they picked away at their plates. Once they were done though, Jack wanted to get cleaned up and get the dishes done, so he set Gabriel to the task of washing dishes while he got all the food put away. 

"We should sit outside for a bit, it's a nice evening." Jack commented, after glancing over his shoulder to see Gabriel staring at the window. His comment made Gabriel startle a little before the ex-angel looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. 

"Sure." Gabriel responded simply, turning his attention back to the dishes as Jack put the salad away. It was quick work once divided between the two of them, and Jack was glad for it as he gave the counters one last wipe. Gabriel was just draining the sink and rinsing the soap off his hands quietly. Lady seemed to sense that they were going outside, and was already hovering by the door. 

Jack lead the way over, grabbing a light coat in case it got cool enough before he let Lady out and waved Gabriel over. Neither of them bothered with shoes, as they both knew they were probably going to end up sitting on the steps and that was it. And the farmer ended up doing just that as Lady darted off to bound around the yard happily. It felt... Right. Just being able to settle down on the porch with Gabriel by his side, watching the dog run about happily in the dying sunlight. He had to resist the instinct to wrap an arm around the other man or lean on him when Gabriel found a place next to him. 

Their silence was broken when Lady bounded back over, skidding to a halt and dumping a fairly large stick in Gabriel's lap. The ex-angel blinked a bit in confusion, before he turned that confusion to Jack, about to ask what the dog was doing. 

"She wants you to throw it." Jack hid an almost affectionate smile behind his hand, watching Lady prance about in circles, tail wagging and tongue lolling as she waited for Gabriel to throw the stick. The other man raised an eyebrow at the explaination before he picked the stick up and tossed it a little ways across the front lawn. Lady darted after it before she returned and deposited it in Gabriel's lap once more. 

"This doesn't make sense." Gabriel frowned as Jack got to his feet, leaning down and picking up the stick to show Gabriel how to do it properly. 

"It doesn't make sense to me either, but it's a dog thing." He hummed a bit, waving the stick so Lady saw he had it, before he wound up and threw it clear across the yard. She took off with an excited bark before Jack sat down again, resting his forearms on his knees and watching the dog run before he turned his gaze to Gabriel. 

He kind of wished he hadn't. 

Was it the light? Was it the way Gabriel was sitting, his posture? Jack didn't know, but something about it made his heart clench a little. The warm lighting seemed to wash over both of them, painting the angles of Gabriel's face with golden light and soft shadows, it was all too distracting. Not to mention the fact that Gabriel looked at ease again, like he belonged there. The warrior of heaven sitting on the porch with Jack, watching his dog play fetch. It felt like home, like some little mismatched family they had put together. 

He was jarred out of his thoughts when Lady dumped the stick in Gabriel's lap once more, only to be stunned by the faint smile that graced Gabriel's features. He was gifted with the slight flash of teeth as amusement curled across Gabriel's face. And Jack shouldn't have had trouble breathing after that. 

Lady running after the stick was suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. 

So, like any sensible person would, Jack focused literally everything he had on that and that alone. He didn't need to be thinking about the painfully beautiful man sitting next to him. He didn't need to be replaying that tiny smile over and over in his head. No he didn't. Lady seemed to have other plans though, and after Gabriel had tossed the stick a few more times, she laid on the ground to chew on it instead, seeming content to soak up the last dredges of warmth from the ground as they watched the sun sink below the corn. 

Jack relaxed a bit as they started to hear the peepers come alive in the tiny pond near his house. It was more like a puddle, but enough so that the sounds of the night were pretty loud as the skies began to darken. As he relaxed once more, Jack let out a content sigh, shoulders relaxing as he leaned on his knees and just enjoyed the peace. There was no pressure for conversation, no need to communicate past the silent peace that had washed over both of them. It was honestly the best he'd felt in a while. Even as the temperature began to drop, cooling the night off a bit. 

"We should go back in eventually." Jack huffed out, making no move to get up. Instead he shifted back a bit, leaning on his hands and stretching out his legs. The action brought him a little closer to Gabriel. Close enough that he could hear the other man breathing. 

"Mmhm." Gabriel hummed in agreement as Jack glanced at him. His eyes had fallen lazily half-closed, thick black lashes fanning out towards his cheeks. It had Jack captivated for a long moment before he blinked and realized he'd instinctively moved a bit closer while he was distracted. He didn't bother moving back, instead he turned his gaze to the sky where the stars were starting to peek through the darkening blue. 

He nearly startled when Gabriel's shoulder bumped against his own, gaze flickering over to the other man for a moment as he tried to decide if it was deliberae. It didn't seem like it. So he just let it be, relaxing and doing his best not to think about it. Instead he watched Lady drop her stick and wander back over in their direction to sit at their feet. Jack considered sitting forward to pet her. But that thought was quickly wiped away as he felt a bit more of Gabriel's weight settle against him. 

It was stupid, but after so long of wondering if Gabriel could open up to him at all, Jack wasn't going to disrupt the moment unless he absolutely had to. Which meant he ended up leaning ever so slightly into it, so they were pressed together from shoulder to knee. For the record, that was entirely too distracting, and Jack ended up absently fiddling with a tuft of grass that had been blown onto the porch with one hand. They had settled into a comfortable closeness and Jack didn't want to ruin it. Especially when Gabriel shifted so he could sit comfortably, one hand moving so Jack was essentially tucked against the crook of his shoulder, feeling the top of Gabriel's arm press lightly between his shoulders. 

As embarrassing as it was, Jack was hyperaware of the contact. He shouldn't have been, he was well aware of that. So the fact that he was, confused him a little. He had to get his shit together before he did something stupid, like his instincts told him do. Laying his head on Gabriel's shoulder was one example. He refrained from doing that, although it took a lot of work. 

They stayed like that for a while longer, neither of them daring to move before Lady went back to the door, pacing in front of it and looking at them expectantly. Jack reluctantly dragged himself up at that point, they had to head back inside, as it was getting cold. Not to mention the fact that as soon as he got to his feet, the moment was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow okay, chapter three, in a somewhat reasonable amount of time. Hope you guys liked it! Feel free to drop a comment or something to tell me what you think, and I just may have chapter four up sooner than I had planned. But tell me, is there anything you readers want to see in this? Just for curiosity's sake


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap??? I'm updating??? And the updates aren't an eternity apart??? 
> 
> Woah

A couple of days slid past with no further incidents when it came to upsetting Gabriel. Upon the other man's request, he'd burned most of the feathers, and saved a couple. Gabriel didn't want them but he didn't want all of them burned. Jack didn't think it polite to ask his reasoning. 

As it was, he was actually a bit more concerned with himself at the moment. He was constantly distracted by Gabriel. Constantly. Whether it was the ex-angel's voice first thing in the morning while he was getting coffee, or the way Gabriel smiled just slightly when Lady would come bounding up to him with a stick. It was absurd. Jack had to keep reminding himself to keep his mind on work and not watch Gabriel sprawl out on the grass with a couple of the barn cats. 

He'd made an excuse to Jesse about who Gabriel was. To Jesse and Hanzo, and anyone else that asked, Gabriel was one of Jack's friends from his time in the military. That explained quite a bit. As it was, he couldn't give Angela the same excuse, and had to have her over again so Gabriel could explain to her. That had been interesting to say the least... But Angela had come to terms with things over the past few days. 

They had also fallen into a new sort of routine. In the mornings, they'd have breakfast together, and then when Jack came in around lunch, they'd chat. They'd also started to cook together every night, Jack taught Gabriel little things as they went along, and Gabriel seemed to get a good handle on it really fast. After dinner they'd do dishes together and then it was out to the porch to sit until the sun went down and play fetch with Lady. Overall it was... too comfortable. 

He felt too at home with Gabriel, it was too easy to accept Gabriel into his daily routine and just... Settle down. Jack sort of assumed that maybe he was a little freaked out because he'd only ever lived with family. But as Gabriel recovered from his physical wounds, Jack wondered more and more what it would be like when Gabriel left. If he did. Jack wasn't sure what he'd do without any sort of legal documentation. Either way the thought hurt more than it should have. He just wanted Gabriel to stay, they could live out their years with their routine and stick to that right? It wasn't like Jack was going to get married when he already had the perfect companion-

"Hey, Morrison, you alive?" 

Jack was snapped out of his thoughts by Gabriel's gruff question, and the other man elbowing him lightly. Right. They had retired to the porch again, and Jack had gotten lost in his thoughts. For a long time too, the sun was almost completely gone from the sky and the last he remembered it wasn't even close to the horizon. Well shit. 

"What was that?" He shook himself a bit as his gaze slid from Lady, who was happily sprawled in the grass panting from running about, all the way to the man sitting beside him. Gabriel quirked an eyebrow, in an expression that clearly said 'really?'. 

"I asked what you were thinking about." Gabriel scoffed a little, turning his gaze back to the sunset as Jack tried to force down a slightly embarrassed flush. Of course he had gotten lost in thought about Gabriel, otherwise Gabriel never would have asked that, obviously. Jack kind of hated how the world worked sometimes. 

"Nothing really, just lost in thought." He shrugged, attention drifting back to Lady as she rolled on her back and wriggled around in the grass. It was almost time for him to give her a bath. He wondered vaguely if Gabriel would want to help with that, Lady loved baths but she could get excited and splash everywhere, so a hand would be nice. He had the mental image of Gabriel soaked from Lady's splashing about in the tub, grinning with his curls plastered to his face, damp shirt clinging to his frame, and immediately pushed it from his mind. 

"Do you do that a lot? Or do I just bore you that much?" Gabriel was teasing, in that awful deadpan way of his. Jack could tell. It still made him feel a bit bad though. He almost wanted to tell Gabriel that he wasn't bored, just thinking about him. That would probably be a bad idea though, as saying that could easily be mistaken as weird or creepy. Was it weird that Gabriel seemed to take up so many of his thoughts? Probably not, he lived with the guy, it had to be something about that, yeah. 

"Only sometimes, everyone does it." Jack shrugged a little, watching Lady roll back over onto her front and sniff enthusiastically at an anthill, before sneezing vigorously. Jack could only imagine she had gotten an ant or some dirt up her nose. 

"What about you?" Jack asked, glancing over at Gabriel again as he leaned his forearms on his knees. He really enjoyed the time they spent just relaxing on the porch together. It gave them a chance to actually talk. Sure they chattered while they ate, but usually that was about trivial stuff. Weather, whatever Gabriel was reading at the moment, any sort of questions the other man had. When they actually took a moment to slow down and just sit around with each other, that was when things got more personal. 

"What about me?" Jack could feel Gabriel's eyes on him, having turned back to Lady, and turned to face Gabriel a bit better, leaning back on one of the posts that supported the roof. 

"Anything on your mind?" Jack asked, shifting so he could sit more comfortably and still face Gabriel. Gabriel raised an eyebrow as Jack settled, and the farmer hoped he hadn't overstepped some invisible line. He and Gabriel had been getting more comfortable around each other. He hoped it wasn't against some unknown rule to ask about Gabriel's thoughts. They were friends at that point weren't they?

"Not really." Gabriel's face fell just slightly and he looked away. Jack knew the set of his shoulders though, the way he avoided looking at anything but the horizon. Something was obviously wrong. Jack considered just dropping the subject, letting Gabriel shake the moment off and moving on, but something urged him on. He'd been around the other man for over a week and a half and still knew next to nothing about him. He knew all of Gabriel's little nuances at that point, although he was still learning the other man's tells. But he knew everything from how long Gabriel tended to shower to how he took his coffee in the morning. Yet he still knew nothing about what life had been like for Gabriel before he fell. Sure he had a vague idea from what he remembered from the bible, but he had literally no idea how accurate that was. So he was pretty in the dark about everything past 'warrior of heaven'. 

"Can I ask a question?" Jack figured maybe it'd be better to start on the less painful end, ease Gabriel into the whole concept of talking about his problems. If the other man recoiled, maybe he needed more time. Jack wished he could just snap his fingers and take Gabriel's pain away, but as it was, he was doing the best he could. The farmer wanted Gabriel to work things out in whatever way he was most comfortable with... But with Gabriel that seemed to be just, not dealing with it. Maybe he could help a little. 

"Depends." Gabriel muttered. He'd taken to cracking his knuckles without thinking when he was upset or thinking, and did just that as Jack shifted a bit. He was just trying to think of the best way to word his question without being too vague. At the same time he didn't want to sound insensitive. God, people were hard to decipher. Jack was yet again reminded of why he lived alone before Gabriel came along. As much as he liked people, getting someone to open up wasn't something he was good at. 

"Well, just out of curiosity, what was heaven like?" Jack asked after a long pause. He watched Gabriel quietly, waiting to see if the other man tensed, got angry at the question. Instead, he was greeted with a bitter almost-laugh. The corners of Gabriel's mouth tugged up in a mirthless smile and he pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose, eyes screwed shut for a moment. That hurt possibly more than the anger would have. Jack fell silent as Gabriel shook his head, before running a hand down his face. 

"It's hard to describe. Kind of industrial? But not the way you'd think... Gothic industrial... If that makes any sense." Gabriel muttered, his face falling again as his brow creased. Jack hated seeing Gabriel falter at all, but the other man was talking, so he fell silent and listened. 

"I didn't see much of what the humans see, I was always backstage per-say. War rooms, or areas, whatever. There weren't really rooms, hardly any of it was bound by any sort of natural laws." He seemed to be having trouble describing it, but Jack still listened, offering Gabriel an encouraging look when Gabriel glanced over to see if he was even listening. 

"Big? I guess? Empty? It was a lot of open space, but moving around wasn't hard, for archangels at least. If we wanted to be somewhere we just sort... Were." He shrugged. Jack was actually quite interested in hearing Gabriel's description of the angel's side of heaven. But it wasn't really what he wanted to know, he kind of hoped there'd be a natural flow between that and Gabriel actually talking about what he so obviously needed to talk about. Jack knew the toll that all of those awful thoughts could take, he didn't want Gabriel to have to suffer alone. 

"Do you ever miss it?" His tone was quiet, gentle. Hell maybe even a little hesitant. Jack was kind of winging it at that point. He knew what his end goal was, but did he have a smooth plan of what questions he'd ask to gradually get Gabriel to open up? Hell no. He figured he'd muddle his way through things, offer support when it was needed, and overall, just listen. He hoped that talking would help Gabriel bleed off some of the poison that was undoubtably churning around in his mind. 

The question got him a confused blink though. Gabriel had been staring off at the colors painting the sky as he spoke, but his gaze was once again glued to Jack. To the farmer it felt a bit like when one of the cats would stare at him for several minutes without moving, unnerving as all hell.

"Of course." Gabriel sighed. He seemed to wilt, turning back to the sky before his gaze fell to the grass again. The way the other man seemed to shrink at the question sent a wave of guilt over Jack for even asking. On the bright side though, Gabriel had answered the question, he was talking about it, letting Jack in just a little bit. Even if it was something as simple as missing his home, Jack considered it a victory. 

On instinct he shifted a little bit closer to Gabriel, bumping his knee against the other man's as he thought of what to say next. He silently made a note to call all of his older siblings and thank them for unintentionally teaching him how to tread lightly when getting someone to open up. He could remember many different times when he'd found himself crying on someone's shoulder despite his best efforts not to worry anyone with his troubles. He'd never had the same knack for it that his siblings did, but he knew what not to do.

"Anything in particular you miss?" Jack asked tentatively. His instincts pushed him to reach out, wrap an arm over Gabriel's shoulders and give his companion someone to lean on. However, he didn't do that, he was already pushing a bit much, he didn't want to go too far. The last thing he needed was Gabriel shutting down on him when he was finally getting somewhere. 

That question earned a bit more of a reaction. Gabriel stiffened up a bit, and Jack was expecting to be snapped at. But instead he was greeted with the sight of Gabriel propping his elbows on his knees and burrying his face in his hands. Jack couldn't help it then, he moved before he could think, a hand resting between Gabriel's shoulders reassuringly as he shifted a little closer. He was about to open his mouth and reassure the other man that he didn't actually have to answer the question. Before he could though, Gabriel was speaking. 

"Everything..." He muttered. The ex-archangel sounded a bit shaky, and that only served to make Jack feel even worse for asking, but he was going to let Gabriel talk. 

"A couple of the others, not all of the angels were tolerable, but I was close with a few." He murmured, seeming to crumble a bit under the weight of some memory Jack had no notion of. He shifted a bit, pressed against Gabriel's side as he settled for gently running his hand between Gabriel's shoulders. He hoped to offer some thread of comfort, and decided that he'd asked enough questions for one evening. Even Lady had seemed to pick up on Gabriel's distress. 

"They'll have all moved on by now..." Gabriel sounded like he was struggling to keep it together. It set off an ache in Jack's chest that he'd only dealt with when he saw his family members upset. That ache had him sliding an arm over Gabriel's shoulders, shifting to face him a bit more and resting a hand on Gabriel's arm. He wanted to reassure Gabriel that they probably hadn't, but what the hell did he know? Maybe they had, so he just waited to see if Gabriel would continue talking. He didn't, but Jack didn't withdraw at all. He didn't want the other man to feel alone while he was upset. Because it was quite obvious that he was, in fact, upset. Jack noticed, as he did his best to offer the other man some comfort, that Gabriel started to tremble slightly. 

At some point, Lady got up, wandering quietly over to tuck herself up against Gabriel's leg on his other side, laying her head on his thigh and looking up at the large man with big sad eyes. Jack hardly noticed though, focused entirely on Gabriel and wondering what he should do. Gabriel still hadn't removed his hands from his face, and Jack could only imagine what kind of pain Gabriel was probably in while just thinking about his home. Shit, he probably shouldn't have asked. No. Jack sternly reminded himself that it was better if Gabriel actually dealt with things externally, instead of bottling everything up. 

"Shit- Sorry-" Jack frowned a bit as he heard Gabriel apologizing. Apologizing for what? He was going to ask when it registered how shaky the other man sounded, his voice was choked with withheld tears. That was why he was shaking, he was holding everything back again. Jack didn't want him doing that, and ended up shifting slightly so he was angled more towards Gabriel. He was about to pull Gabriel in closer to his chest when the larger man moved there himself, still not moving his face from his hands, but allowing Jack to wrap an arm around him properly. It startled Jack, but he was quick to adapt, resisting the urge to just pull Gabriel tight against himself and hold the other man until he recovered. 

"It's okay, don't apologize." Jack murmured, sqeezing Gabriel's arm reassuringly as he pulled the other man closer against himsef. Gabriel was actually leaning into him, Jack wasn't sure if he could classify that as actively seeking comfort, but it was farther than he had even hoped to get. So he was going to roll with it for as long as Gabriel needed him. 

"It's not good to hold everything in, trust me." The farmer reassured Gabriel quietly, rubbing his hand over Gabriel's shoulder. He could feel the other man tensing every now and then under his arm. It seemed to be one of his ways of forcing down the tears. Sure Jack had done that himself many times. For years crying in front of other human beings was not an option. Hell, crying at all bothered him. It still did sometimes. But there had been more than one incident of him with his arms around Lady sobbing into her fur, or leaning on one of his siblings like they were kids again. He hoped he could offer Gabriel the same kind of comfort. 

He could have explained whatever kind of sciency crap that Ana had told him when he made some offhanded comment about it, about why crying was actually good. But he figured that wouldn't help at all. As it was he wasn't sure what the other man was thinking, Jack was honestly a little scared he was pushing too far and that Gabriel was about to recede back behind the towering walls he'd put up.

Jack caught Gabriel's next apology before it even slipped out though. And honestly, he was a little fed up with Gabriel bottling things up. 

"Gabe, what you've gone through is considered emotional trauma." Jack muttered, shifting to wrap both of his arms around the other man's shoulders and actually pull Gabriel into a real hug. Lady whined when she had to adjust, as Gabriel was turned towards Jack by the hug, but she snuggled right back against Gabriel. 

"Just stop fighting it would you?" He insisted, watching as Gabriel shuddered in his arms. It honestly hurt to see Gabriel in so much pain. But he wanted Gabriel to know that it really wasn't okay to keep everything stored up for when the nights were too long or any other time he was alone. There was a difference between being whiny and having to work through a traumatic event. Gabriel actually letting himself cry was one of the latter times. 

Jack felt Gabriel stiffen a bit in his arms, and was about to backpedal before Gabriel finally dropped his hands from his face. Jack was startled by the other man tentatively returning the hug, but it was nothing compared to when the other man buried his face in the farmer's shoulder. Jack felt him shudder again and choke down a silent sob. At that point he just pulled Gabriel as close against himself as he could, moving one arm to wrap around Gabriel's ribs. 

Lady cast a helpless look up at her owner as she laid her head on Gabriel's leg once more, but the ex-angel was too distracted with Jack to even notice. Jack felt him shudder again before he heard the sound of Gabriel stifling a quiet sob. It was heartbreaking. And it kind of made Jack want to cry as he just quietly let Gabriel have as long as he needed. He'd stay right there for hours if needed. Sure it was already getting darker and darker as time went on, but Jack wasn't scared of the dark and they'd be fine. 

He ended up focusing his attention on running one hand over Gabriel's back, murmuring reassuringly to him without even having to think about it. Sure Gabriel was still choking back full blown sobs, but it was better than not letting himself feel anything at all. 

The breakdown didn't last long though. Gabriel only gave himself a couple minutes before Jack could tell he had fully realized what he was doing, and reined his emotions in considerably. Jack was in no place to complain, and instead just let Gabriel collect himself, before the ex-angel pulled back. He had to stop himself from reaching out and brushing the tears from Gabriel's face, as the other man was already doing that for himself. On the other hand, he could practically see Gabriel putting those walls back up, closing himself off again. Great. Jack hoped getting Gabriel to open up would be easier from then on, but something told him the other man wasn't too fond of crying on someone, and probably wouldn't want to repeat that incident. 

"Better?" He asked with a raised eyebrow when Gabriel said nothing. The other man had dried his eyes and promptly withdrawn completely from Jack, their knees still brushed but other than that... He was completely gone. Lady seemed happy though, as he'd turned his attention to petting her, ruffling her fur while he got himself together. 

"Sure." Gabriel muttered. The cold tone was back in his voice. Jack hadn't heard that tone since they'd first spoken with each other. It nearly had him doing a double-take. Had he fucked up? Did Gabriel regret opening up that much? Shit. It hadn't crossed his mind that Gabriel might hate being vulnerable to such an extent. Apparently he did, and Jack had to resist the urge to scramble to retrace his steps and ask what he'd done wrong. He was just trying to help and he'd pushed it too far. 

Just Gabriel's expression told him enough, watching Lady through tear-soaked lashes, his jaw tight and his gaze firmly not on Jack. It was what Jack could recognize as discomfort, and it hurt more than it should have. He'd hoped that helping Gabriel open up would do good things, let the other man start handling things better, maybe make him more comfortable with sharing his thoughts. Instead it appeared like he'd done the opposite. 

"We should probably turn in soon." Jack did his best to keep the near distraught tone out of his voice. Everything in him screamed to do whatever he could to salvage the quiet moment. But he didn't dare. He had a feeling that even trying would be like dumping gasoline on a fire. 

"Yeah." Gabriel muttered, brushing Lady silently out of his lap before he got to his feet. Jack remained on the step for just a breath longer, glaring at where Gabriel had been sitting. He was silently cursing himself. He should have known he was pushing Gabriel too far. The signs were probably there, he'd just missed them. That had to be it. 

Jack pushed himself quietly to his feet though, moving to get the door for Gabriel like he usually did. Gabriel brushed past him, stiff and not even offering a glance in his direction. Lady trotted in after him, not as enthusiastic as usual as Gabriel immediately turned to head back to his room. Great. Jack didn't even want to know how much he'd fucked up. He ended up staring after him for a moment, listening to the other man walk down the hall, the door shutting. 

After a moment of standing in the main room like an idiot, Jack shook himself and moved to get things settled for the night. Which just meant locking the front door and moving through the house to shut off the lights. It felt empty again. Usually Gabriel would be hanging around downstairs to chat tiredly and help with making sure all the lights off. For a moment Jack realized it was like before, but worse. Gabriel was still there, Jack just wasn't sure for how long. He was sure that after that the ex-angel would want out as soon as possible. And with his injuries mostly healed already, that was bound to be sooner rather than later. 

The thought made Jack feel a bit sick, and he did his best to ignore it as Lady trailed him up the stairs. 

The farmer found himself hesitating as he walked past Gabriel's door. Did he stop? Ask if Gabriel was okay? Apologize for pushing him too far? No, Jack figured that the damage had already been done, and asking questions with obvious answers wouldn't get him fucking anywhere. He just shook himself before ducking into his own room to get ready for the night. 

Lady went to hop up on the bed as usual, but lingered, waiting quietly for Jack as he changed into bedclothes. She seemed worried about her human, and as soon as he had flopped down in bed, popped up to get settled with him. Jack had nearly forgotten about covers though, and Lady pawed at his ankle while nudging against the blankets, reminding him. 

Once he had properly gotten settled, Lady crawled right into Jack's arms, tucking herself up under Jack's chin and whining softly as he pressed his cheek against the ruff at her collar. 

"God Lady, what did I do?" He whispered against her fur, fingers curling into her soft hair as he tried to get a handle on the pit forming in his stomach. When he finally thought he was getting somwhere, he'd gone and fucked everything over while just trying to help. Lady whined again at his question though, wiggling a bit in his arms before she laid her head on his bicep silently. 

"I couldn't just leave shit alone." Jack huffed out, turning his head to hide his face completely against the dog. Lady didn't offer a response to that, and Jack figured it would be best to try and sleep for the moment, as opposed to talking to his damned dog. 

~~~

The next morning when he woke, the pit in his stomach was still there. But it had brought a friend with it over the night. There was also a hollow ache in his chest. Not to mention guilt clawing at him before he even woke up completely. 

The farmer felt like a zombie as he went about his morning routine of showering and getting dressed, brushing his teeth silently and trying to avoid any and all thought past the chores he had to tackle that day. Lady followed him around as usual, although without her usual pep, she seemed to know something was wrong. It was probably because Jack was so quiet. Usually the blond man would hum, or talk to her or something, he was never dead silent even first thing in the morning. 

He ended up lingering in the kitchen for a while, hoping that there was a tiny chance Gabriel would come down for their usual breakfast. Jack even made coffee like he always did, his gaze flickering to the stairs every few minutes as he loitered about the kitchen. 

Tires crunching across the driveway finally pulled him out of his delusions of a normal morning routine. And Jack silently pushed the door open to head out and start his day with Jesse. Maybe getting back to the normal routine would help take his mind off of things. Sure, that had to help. 

Lady trotted ahead of Jack to greet Jesse, but Jack only had the heart to offer the young man a nod before he kept walking to the barn. He had to let the team out, get his circuit done, tend the chickens-

"Somethin' wrong boss?" Jesse had fallen into place next to Jack, and the question startled the farmer. He blinked stupidly at Jesse for a moment as he stopped walking. Right, the kid had asked him a question, had he really lost that much sleep last night worrying? He felt a little slow, things in his brain weren't firing properly and somewhere in his mind he already knew it was going to be a hellish day. 

"Just a rough night Jesse, don't worry about it." Jack made a weak attempt at a reassuring smile, before he nodded to the barn and started in that direction. 

"Come on, horses aren't gonna saddle themselves." He tried to summon some of his usual energy, but he could still feel Jesse's gaze on him, and could practically sense the concern wafting off the younger man. But he also knew Jesse, and he knew that the other man wasn't going to pry if Jack seemed too closed off. Maybe he should take a page from the cowboy's book. Jesse didn't push people when they didn't want to talk, well, he didn't push Jack at least, that was probably a good approach. 

They fell into an uncomfortable silence as they went about their morning duties. Jesse let the team out into the pasture while Jack saddled up the others. He was acting mostly on muscle memory, not really thinking about what he was doing as he worked. It was a good thing the horses were relatively laid back with him at that point. All he had been taught when he was young told him to go back inside, figure out what the root of the problem was and just, fix it. But logic reminded him of how differently Gabriel was wired. He had been an archangel. His process of thought was probably much different. 

It was a whole new snarl of things to deal with in a certain way and Jack wasn't sure where to even begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so....
> 
> We needed some conflict. The original way I wrote this was much different. But either way, feel free to tell me what you think (or just yell at me haha) in the comments, and I hope to have the next chapter up in a reasonable amount of time!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this fic is getting all my love right now apparently (aka I had to re-write a bunch of plot because of chapter 4 (Y'all should see my notes)) but I'm super hyped for it. So because the fandom is already so hype right now, here's another chapter while I have the energy haha.

Days passed and Jack didn't see Gabriel. It worried him more than he'd like to admit.

Jack had grown far too used to having Gabriel around, so the absence hit harder than it should have. He couldn't stop thinking about the ex-angel and his mental state. The image of Gabriel shaking in his arms seemed imprinted in his mind, and it made him worry. Was Gabriel even okay? It didn't seem like he should have been after such a rough breakdown. Jack was a little afraid to ask though. It seemed like Gabriel was clearly asking for space, and Jack was going to respect that. 

At least, it seemed like Gabriel was asking for space. He had completely shuttered himself off from the rest of the world. Jack would have worried that he had gone completely. But there were still signs that Gabriel was still there. Not only the little things Jack noticed, but the fact that Lady seemed to slow whenever they walked past Gabriel's room in the morning. Jack almost did too. But he never worked up the nerve. 

They were, quite honestly, at a stalemate. 

It had gotten to the point where it interfered with Jack's sleep. Sure, the farmer was well aware that stress could often cause him to loose sleep. That didn't mean it bothered him any less. When he was left awake staring at the ceiling, all he could do was think. And sometimes it wasn't even about the man stressing him out. His mind liked to dredge up all the bad memories from his life, which only made things worse. 

Things were no different that evening. Jack had been trying to sleep for hours, eyes stinging from exhaustion and head throbbing. He contemplated getting some sleep aids if he was going to be so tired he couldn't function. That was a waste of time though, Jack figured he'd be fine. He'd done plenty of things running on no sleep, so it wasn't too weird for him. 

However, he wasn't just unable to sleep, he was restless. Jack had the insatiable urge to get up and do something. Which, of course, would be a bit hard when Lady was wedged against his side sleeping happily. Jack didn't particularly want to disturb her, but he also couldn't stand just laying there. He needed air, the dark of his room was suffocating him and he needed to get outside. 

It wasn't too hard to disentangle himself from the dog, and thankfully she remained blissfully asleep. Jack loved her but she stuck to him constantly and he really did just need a calm moment. Which did mean he was probably going to go outside and sit on the porch. That also meant he'd need heavier clothing than just his pjs. So after grabbing a thick hoodie from his closet, he headed towards the door to his room. 

He noticed the light washing into the hall immediately. 

Usually, the only light seeped in from the windows at either end of the hall. But there was a beam cutting across the hallway that had to come from an open door. It made Jack scowl a bt as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatshirt and wandered down the hall towards the stairs. 

It took a second for him to realize that the open door was Gabriel's. But when he did, he hesitated by the doorway before glancing inside. Only to find that the ex-angel wasn't there. 

The bedclothes were rumpled, slept in, and it was obvious someone had been spending a lot of time in that room. But Gabriel wasn't there, the room seemed completely void of life. It made Jack's heart sink and he wasn't even sure why. His mind was reeling though, had Gabriel left? Had the ex-angel finally decided that he was fully healed and didn't want to be confined to some little farm in the middle of nowhere?

Jack wouldn't have been surprised if he had, but that thought wasn't comforting whatsoever. He wanted Gabriel to stay, he wanted to make sure the other man was safe, make sure he was well taken care of and had someone to lean on if he needed it. 

The thought of Gabriel out on his own made Jack's throat clench with anxiety. Would the other man be okay on his own? 

Jack had to push himself away from the doorframe, shaking himself to try to get rid of the thoughts. He was sure Gabriel was just downstairs. His mind was just jumping to the worst conclusion. Maybe Gabriel had just needed to get a glass of water or something. Yeah that was more likely, Gabriel wouldn't run off without at least leaving a note or something. Right?

The farmer did his best to shake off the dark cloud as he turned his feet back down the hall and down the stairs. He was worrying too much, he was paranoid. Jack reminded himself of that as he stepped into the kitchen. He was expecting to see Gabriel sulking in a hoodie against the counter or sprawled out on the couch reading. But the downstairs was as dark and still as the rest of the house. Jack was reminded once again of how lonely it had been before Gabriel had fallen into his back yard. 

Jack ended up with his hands braced against the sink. He was doing his best to not freak out. Gabriel had to be there somewhere. He hadn't just left without any pretense right? Had Jack actually upset him that badly?

He had to steady himself as his mind ran wild. What if Gabriel met someone a hell of a lot less forgiving than a lonely farmer? What if he stumbled across some animal that could hurt him? Jack really tried to brush it off, tried not to worry about it. It was hard though, he had grown more attached than he would have liked. And that meant he was going to worry until he knew Gabriel was safe. 

Eventually he forced himself to look up from where he'd been staring into the sink silently. He needed to stop thinking. He had absolutely no right to be so attached, especially after such a short period of time. As far as he knew, Gabriel didn't even like him. Jack just wanted to be sure that Gabriel was okay, the ex-angel was his responsibility after all. Wasn't he?

When he looked up though, he realized that there was light shining around the edges of the barn door. The farmer took a moment to wrack his brain. Had he left a light on? No, he couldn't even remember needing one that evening. It was getting towards fall but it didn't get dark enough for him to need a light before he turned in. 

That was something, and he needed to go shut the light off either way. Maybe Jesse had come back for something and left the light on? That was probably it. Jack didn't want to risk any sort of barn fire or anything. So he wanted to be sure everything was off, and had his boots on before he even realized he'd made the choice to go to the barn. 

The night air was cool, tinged with the scent of summer's end as he headed across the driveway in the direction of the barn. It was a bit chilly, but nothing Jack was unused to. So he kept on, nudging the door open quietly and taking a glance around the barn. The horses all seemed to be asleep, all laying down in their stalls. 

It was easy to spot the light that was on, and Jack headed in that direction, glancing into The General's stall as he wandered by. He took a glimpse into Ruby's stall as well. 

Gabriel was there, sitting tucked against the horse's shoulder so she could curl around him. One of Ruby's legs was pulled up, her knee against his thigh, her neck curled around his body. It made Jack pause. Ruby had laid her head against Gabriel's legs, though they both looked just a slight bit cramped. The farmer blinked in surprise, hesitating where he stood. He watched Gabriel smooth a hand down Ruby's neck, realizing that the other man didn't know he was there at the moment. Ruby seemed totally content with her head across his knees, eyes half-closed as Gabriel tangled his fingers in her soft mane. Jack hadn't even seen Jesse get so comfortable with the rescue horse. So seeing Gabriel look so content wrapped up with the horse did more to him than he'd like to admit. 

Jack cleared his throat, which made Gabriel startle a bit. The other man's eyes flickered up, like a startled deer, and Jack felt a bit bad when he watched Gabriel's gaze drop quickly. Jack considered just leaving, but he hadn't seen Gabriel in days, and seeing him curled up with Ruby made Jack's chest hurt. Not to mention the fact that it lifted the worry from his shoulders, Gabriel hadn't run off in the middle of the night. 

"You mind?" Jack nodded into the stall and Gabriel paused for a moment. Jack thought he was about to be brushed off in his own barn, but Gabriel finally nodded slightly. He was rather stuck anyways, Ruby seemed content where she was. Jack could have lied to himself and insisted he'd be fine if Gabriel didn't want to talk. But honestly, he was still worried about the ex-angel's mental health. He had been perfectly honest when he mentioned the whole 'emotional trauma' thing. 

The farmer shifted and opened the door to the stall, stepping inside in Gabriel's direction. The other man's attention remained firmly on Ruby as Jack found a place to settle. He ended up sitting against the stall wall, letting Gabriel and Ruby have their moment. Jack fell to just silently observing for another minute. The way Gabriel's hands smoothed nervously over Ruby's neck, or the way he seemed to shift slightly whenever Ruby did. It was like they knew each other's thoughts before they knew themselves. It honestly made him wonder. From what he'd seen, the two of them seemed like they were completely in tune with each other. 

The silence stretched out awkwardly as Jack got comfortable. If it hadn't been so awkward, the atmosphere would have been nice. The sweet smell of hay, and the slow sound of Ruby breathing. But as it was, he wasn't going to back out at that point. 

"I'm sorry, about the other night by the way. I didn't mean to push you so much." Jack eventually murmured. Turning himself a bit more towards Gabriel as he folded his arms over his stomach, doing his best to relax and enjoy the quiet. Gabriel finally looked up from where his gaze had settled on Ruby's ears. Jack had to make it clear that he hadn't meant any harm by trying to get Gabriel to open up. 

Gabriel looked like crap though. There were dark circles under the other man's eyes that he hadn't seen, not to mention he hadn't seen someone look so exhausted since Jesse and Hanzo had adopted their first kid. Jesse had gotten a taste of what a newborn was like and had been a wreck for a good three months. Gabriel looked just as bad, not to mention it wasn't just exhaustion, Jack could tell Gabriel was emotionally drained as well. 

"Really. I should have stayed out of it." Jack really had a huge need to apologize for everything. It had been his fault after all. He'd tried too hard to get Gabriel to open up. And while he'd succeeded it hadn't been the best thing. Maybe it had been good for Gabriel to work some things out, but the ex-angel certainly didn't seem to agree with Jack on that matter given his reaction.

He was about to continue when Gabriel held up a hand, indicating he should be quiet. Jack fell silent immediately, brow crinkling a bit with worry. Was Gabriel going to tell him to just shut up? He felt like that was what was coming his way. Honestly he wouldn't have blamed Gabriel at that point. The guy had every right to hate him. He'd pushed Gabriel too much after all. 

"Just, stop." Gabriel sounded as bad as he looked, his voice was raspy and seemed to catch in his throat. It made Jack's throat tighten a bit as he listened to his companion. Jesus, Gabriel really was a wreck wasn't he? Jack wanted to wrap his arms around Gabriel again and let the ex-angel cry until he didn't have anything else to cry about. But he wasn't going to even try. Gabriel still had that cold edge to his voice and it made Jack recoil a bit, out of fear he'd manage to screw things up again. He hated walking on eggshells, but he'd still rather do that than possibly hurt Gabriel again. 

Jack didn't push it again, at first he'd thought that Gabriel was going to say something, perhaps just leave and lock himself away once more. None of that happened though, and Jack didn't dare move, his gaze flickering between Ruby and Gabriel. Honestly he had to keep his mind from wandering to the idea of just going over to curl up with Gabriel and Ruby. He could imagine it was probably pretty warm and pretty damn comfortable. 

His legs were starting to fall asleep though, and Jack huffed a bit before he shifted to mend that. He ended up kicking up a bit of hay when he did so, but didn't think anything of it until Ruby lifted her head. Gabriel seemed a bit surprised by the horse moving as Ruby paused. 

Jack was left slightly amused, but mostly disgusted, when Ruby swung her head around and sneezed all over him. It had the farmer recoiling, nose crinkling in disgust as he started to lift a hand, with the intent of wiping the horse snot from his face. 

Before he could do that though, he was distracted by a low laugh. 

An actual laugh. 

His eyes flickered up in surprise just in time to catch the last half of Gabriel's stifled chuckling. It earned him the sight of a bright, almost shy smile. Gabriel had ducked his head to press his forehead to Ruby's when she nudged her nose to his chest. The sight of the smile and Gabriel leaning against the horse like he belonged there, it actually made Jack's chest ache. He had thought Gabriel smiling at Lady was breathtaking? Shit, he had underestimated.

He realized with a start that he wanted to reach out, grab Gabriel by the jaw and kiss the other man. He wanted to feel that smile against his own lips and be able to hear that laugh again. Jack hadn't even considered the thought that maybe he had feelings for Gabriel until that moment. But as it was, he did his best to brush the thought off like it was nothing. 

"Oh yeah, laugh at my expense." There was a smile curling at his mouth too, and he watched Gabriel for another long moment before he wiped his face off with his sleeve. As gorgeous as Gabriel was... Jack needed to stop thinking like Gabriel was going to be around longer than he had to be. Why the hell would an archangel want to be tied to some tiny farm in the middle of nowhere. 

He finished wiping his face before he turned his eyes back to Gabriel. The other man was still leaning against Ruby, his forehead resting against hers and his curls falling against the horse's forelock. His light grin faded to a tiny smile as Jack observed. God, everything Gabriel did seemed to captivate Jack in some way. It was insane, and Jack didn't even know when he started staring at Gabriel constantly. 

"It's not my fault she sneezed on you, it's just funny." Gabriel scoffed slightly. The humor of the situation was lost on Jack, but he was glad that the ex-angel was relaxing once more. 

"Sure." Jack huffed, he had to bite back a grin as he settled back again, folding his arms over his midsection while Ruby laid her head on Gabriel's legs once more. The silence that followed was pretty relaxed, comfortable even. Jack still worried a bit about upsetting Gabriel, but he wasn't thinking about it anywhere near as much as he had been. He wanted to be closer to Gabriel though, wanted to wrap his arms around the other man and make sure Gabriel was protected from whatever harm could possibly come to him.

Jack didn't know where the hell the protective instincts had come from. It was kind of terrifying in a way. At the same time, it felt natural, like he was supposed to care. He figured it came from the fact that he was used to caring about the rare people that were close to him. Especially when it came to actually living together. He'd only lived with a few groups of people in his life, his family and the men he met and befriended when he was in the military.

"So, why are you in the barn so late at night?" Jack asked after a long moment. Gabriel paused, looking up at Jack from Ruby. His smile was already long gone at that point, but the relaxed look didn't leave entirely. Jack kept a careful eye on the other man's face as he waited for a response. Gabriel had tensed up a little, but not too much. 

"Couldn't sleep." Gabriel rasped, shrugging slightly as he turned his gaze back to Ruby. Jack found himself wanting to reach out again, he acted on it that time. But instead ended up resting a hand beside Gabriel's on Ruby's neck. 

"I can understand that, nightmares?" Jack asked nonchalantly. He wasn't going to make it too terribly serious, he just wanted Gabriel to know he could talk about that kind of thing without it being a big deal. He wanted Gabriel to be comfortable, that was his main priority. 

Gabriel didn't give a verbal response, but he nodded as way of reply. Jack was happy to see that the ex-angel didn't seem to be getting upset about it, he actually seemed relatively relaxed. That was good. As much as Jack wanted Gabriel to be emotionally open, and to actually cry when he needed to. He also knew that it was good for Gabriel to be able to talk about the less serious stuff in a relaxed way. 

"Me too, I doubt we dream about the same stuff but-" He shrugged, eyes falling to Ruby as he ran his hand over the side of her neck. 

"It's still kind of the same concept though." Jack pointed out. He knew that there were going to be differences. Gabriel's trauma was different from his own, but he could understand the concept of nightmares keeping Gabriel awake. He didn't push further though, he knew what he needed to know. If Gabriel wanted to share more about his nightmares then he would. As it was Jack didn't think it polite to pry. 

They fell into another easy silence, Jack had moved to sit on the other side of Ruby's neck. Although the horse was the only thing separating them. Jack was pretty relaxed at that point. Glad to have Gabriel there by his side once more and just enjoying the company. 

"You should probably get some sleep soon though." Jack said after a while. Ruby seemed to have dozed off again, her eyes closed and her breathing evening out as Gabriel's hand ran down her nose. That comment did, in fact, earn Jack a faint glare though. 

"I'd rather not." Gabriel huffed out, his gaze dropping once more. 

"There are things that help you know." Jack added. He could list plenty of things he had tried that may work for Gabriel, even if they didn't work for him. There was one that came to mind though, and Jack had to make an attempt to bat the thought away as he looked up and made eye contact with Gabriel. 

"I've heard spending the night with another person can help." Jack blurted. He paused a bit when he realized what he had said. Dammit, that probably sounded really weird. At least it hadn't come out as sleeping with someone. Gabriel likely hadn't picked up on what that meant, but Jack was glad he hadn't slipped up that badly. He wasn't sure how Gabriel would respond anyways. 

"Are you suggesting I spend the night with you?" Jack glanced up at the question. Though he was a bit surprised to see that Gabriel just looked curious, not angry or put off. The question earned a slight shrug though. However Jack didn't back down again, if Gabriel was considering the idea then he'd be fine with it. 

"I mean, if you want to. I've tried everything in the book at this point but that." He shrugged. "I don't know if it's supposed to prevent the nightmares or if it's a support thing but..." The farmer trailed off with another shrug. He'd never actually gotten a chance to properly spend the night with anyone. Dating wasn't exactly easy in a tiny town, and there was no way his mother would have let any girl spend the night with Jack when he was still with his parents. Then again he hadn't been dealing with the nightmares before his tour in the army. 

Gabriel just sort of stared at him for a moment, but Jack knew that the other man was actually considering it. Though the look was just a tiny bit unnerving. It made Jack wonder if Gabriel knew when he was staring. God that would probably be awkward as shit. 

"It couldn't hurt to try." Gabriel responded eventually. Jack blinked a bit in surprise at that response. Even if Gabriel had been considering it, it hadn't crossed the farmer's mind that the other man would actually agree. But as it was he mustered a faint smile. Though he kind of felt like he was starting to understand the whole 'butterflies' thing. Especially when he earned a shadow of a smile in response. 

"Exactly. And if that doesn't work I'm sure we'll find something." Jack nodded. He lingered for another moment before he moved and pushed himself to his feet. He let out a faint groan, wincing as his spine cracked and his legs protested to him standing up so fast. Sitting cramped up on the floor of Ruby's stall was probably not something he was going to do again. 

"Come on, it's late and we're probably screwing with Ruby's sleep." Jack turned to offer Gabriel a hand once he had brushed himself off. Gabriel looked between the farmer's hand and Ruby, before gently removing the horse's head from his lap and taking Jack's hand. Jack, on the other hand, did his best not to be distracted by the warm callous of Gabriel's hand against his own.

They ended up falling into an easy silence once more. Gabriel brushed himself off before trailing after the farmer to turn lights off and head back to the house. Jack was quick to shuck his boots off as soon as they got inside, and didn't hesitate before he headed towards the stairs. The ex-angel was definitely following him, so he didn't worry about that too much. Hell, he was more worried about how they'd work around Lady. He was sure it would be fine, but at the same time. The dog happened to take up a lot of space, and Jack didn't want Gabriel to end up being pushed out of bed by a dog. 

"Why don't you get settled, I've got to change my shirt." Jack yawned as he pushed the door to his room open. Lady lifted her head sleepily from where she had been nestled in the blankets Jack had pushed aside when he got out of bed. He glanced back at Gabriel, who nodded before heading for the bed. 

It was surprisingly hard not to think about it. Jack mentally reprimanded himself for thinking about it as anything more than a way to keep Gabriel's nightmares at bay. But the thought kept floating to the surface of his mind as he stripped his hoodie off, pulling a shirt on in it's place. 

When he turned back to the bed, Gabriel was perched on the edge of the bed, scratching under the sleepy dog's chin. It had Jack stifling a smile as he headed over and sat as well, giving Lady a bit of a nudge before he motioned for Gabriel to lay down. 

Actually getting settled was a bit of an affair. Lady seemed a little annoyed by Gabriel being there, despite her love for him, and ended up draped half-over Jack's legs. Jack stretched out on his back and they somehow got settled so they weren't even touching each other. Gabriel had chosen to face the wall, curled up slightly under the covers, and Jack really had to resist the urge to move, wrap his arms around the other man's middle and just curl up with him. They were just testing the theory that having another person around helped. 

Gabriel fell asleep first, and Jack wasn't too far behind, it had been an exhausting few days. At that point though, he knew Gabriel was safe, and the other man was curled up in bed next to him. So it wasn't any question how he was doing. That put Jack at ease, and as soon as he relaxed, his body dragged him under. He was sleep deprived as it was, and the lack of stress let his body do most of the work for him. 

~~~

The next morning Jack woke with a warm weight against his chest and side. 

It wasn't an abnormal feeling. But usually that weight was much more alive, and covered with a hell of a lot more fur. 

Jack wasn't even sure he wanted to open his eyes. He woke up pretty slowly, but as he did... He realized that Gabriel had moved a lot in his sleep. The archangel was snug against his side, Jack could feel a heavy arm around his ribcage and Gabriel's cheek pressed to his chest.

As it was, it took the farmer a moment to completely grasp the fact that Gabriel had moved to cuddle up withh him during the night. If he hadn't been so hyperaware of the other man's chest rising and falling with each breath, or the feeling of Gabriel's breath fanning against his shirt... He may have been able to process quicker. He was incredibly distracted though. And at some point, he really needed to open his eyes, he needed to actually see the other man. 

He didn't dare stretch, or even move. When he thought about it, he realized that he already had an arm around Gabriel's shoulders. Instinct? Probably. 

Opening his eyes and actually taking a glimpse at the ex-angel was definitely worth it though. Jack had only seen Gabriel asleep on thaat first night. And as creepy as Jack thought it was, he was pretty damn sure Gabriel was gorgeous even when he slept. His curls spilled over his forehead, some smushed up against Jack's shirt, his face relaxed, body stretched out under the covers. If he had been able to wake up to the other man sleeping on him every day, Jack could have died a happy man. 

He ended up just gazing at Gabriel quietly. Lady hadn't even gotten up at that point, so he had some time. But god, he really had to take a moment to remind himself it was probably a one time thing. Gabriel would probably be super awkward about it when he got up. He had to be. Jack knew he sure of hell would have been, waking up clinging to someone he was just supposed to be sharing a bed with. 

But god damn it if Gabriel wasn't one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen. 

The thought was a bit more jarring than any of his thoughts the night previous, as he was fully awake at that point. But Jack still had a tiny freak out when he realized two things. The first being that he was thinking about a guy in a way that was distinctly romantic. And not some delicate feminine guy, no, the war-ravaged archangel that was about eighty percent muscle and taller than him. The second realization was that it was probably more than just physical attraction if he could look at Gabriel, stretched out in his pajamas, ruffled from sleep, and still think the ex-angel was breathtaking. 

Jack kind of wanted to punch himself in the face for not realizing he was in too deep sooner. 

How the hell was he going to cope with Gabriel being around all the time if all he could think of was kissing the guy, having him close. It made Jack's mind reel just thinking about it. He was so screwed. He'd known deep down for a while, but as he hazarded another glance down at the man still dozing against his chest, it really smacked him across the face. 

He was honestly fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I hope you guys liked it, and as usual, feel free to tell me what you think in the comments!
> 
> And, a shoutout to the wonderful Katrandom for suggesting the concept of Gabe running off to hang out with Ruby. I thought the idea was too cute and I couldn't resist.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, okay, it's only been three days but I wrote this a hell of a lot faster than I had anticipated. 
> 
> This is what happens when I have an insane amount of inspiration and nothing else to do with my time. 
> 
> I can't promise regular updates this week but there should be more than usual, so you guys don't have to wait months.

Sleeping together soon became the norm for them. 

It started that evening, and a night or two later, Gabriel somewhat hesitantly asked if he could bunk with the farmer again. How could Jack say no to that? Gabriel seemed to sleep better with someone else. And Jack was in no position to complain when every morning, he woke up wrapped up with Gabriel. It was something he wasn't sure he'd ever get completely used to. And he kind of hope he didn't get used to it, if only for the fact that he didn't want to start taking Gabriel's presence for granted. 

As it was he spent a good half of his time just appreciating the other man. He usually woke up before Gabriel, and often spent a good ten minutes just laying there with the other man. Sometimes he woke wrapped in Gabriel's arms, other times Gabriel was tucked against his chest or side. It was a roulette but Jack wasn't protesting in any way. He either woke with Gabriel warm against his back, and thick arms wrapped around him, or he woke with Gabriel curled up to him as close as Lady usually got. 

Lady had adapted as well, and usually ended up plastered to the back or side of one of the pair. It depended on who she decided needed her the most. 

That morning had been no different. Jack had woken up wedged between Gabriel and Lady, and could hardly find it in himself to get up. He wanted to stay there, warm and comfortable between his two favorite companions. But he had to get up and be productive, what a damn shame. If he could have just laid there with the ex-angel until Gabriel woke up, he would have. 

So eventually he did detangle himself, somewhat carefully. Lady was up as soon as he shifted, and she hopped out of bed as Jack withdrew from Gabriel's arms. That, as usual woke the other man. Jack got a glimpse of sleepy brown eyes before he was on his feet and moving to go get his clothes for the day. Gabriel was not making anything easier on Jack. The guy was ridiculously attractive, constantly, in Jack's opinion. Whether he was sitting on the porch in the evening, dying sun washing over his features. Lazily sprawled on the grass or couch reading a book, or even half asleep first thing in the morning. 

Jack made an effort to keep himself distracted though. He'd been more productive than ever since he and Gabriel started routinely sharing a bed. Repairs that had been delayed for far too long were quickly dwindling, he and Jesse planned to put another coat of paint on the barn... All because Jack really needed to keep busy. What if he was around Gabriel for so long and he did something stupid, like kiss the guy? With his new schedule he usually finished the day with enough energy to make dinner, shower, and then he was in bed and fast asleep. Sure he and Gabriel still spent time together, they hadn't broken the routine of hanging out on the porch until it got dark. But at least he had something to distract himself so the archangel wasn't the only thing on his mind constantly. 

He didn't have as much as usual planned that day, so he was taking his time. Which meant sifting through his clothes before he grabbed something and turned to duck out towards the bathroom to change. 

Gabriel hadn't gotten out of bed yet though. Usually the ex-angel already would have been up and stretching. But he was perched on the edge of the bed, rubbing his temple. Lady had wandered over to snuggle against his leg and rest her head on his knee, looking up at Gabriel quietly. The sight made Jack frown a bit in concern, setting his clothes on his dresser before he wandered over to Gabriel. 

"You alright?" He asked quietly. He was still a bit worried about Gabriel. Though the other man had started to relax considerably. Jack noticed more soft smiles and Gabriel made more dry jokes. Jack was actually starting to see that the ex-angel had a sense of humor. But that didn't mean Gabriel had completely recovered just because he'd had a few good days. 

"'M fine." Gabriel muttered, running his hands over his face. Jack scowled at that, sitting down heavily next to Gabriel with a scowl. Gabriel had gotten a bit better about talking about the small stuff, but Jack knew they had miles to go before Gabriel could be considered mentally stable. 

"I don't think so." Jack's tone was firm, but not accusatory or gruff. He had learned that sometimes just telling Gabriel that it was okay to be upset was the best way, and the comment was a reminder that it was alright. Gabriel let out a heavy sigh into his hands at the response he got though. He didn't look upset, per say, more tired. Jack would have even gone so far as to say Gabriel looked exhausted. 

"Just, bad dreams again." Gabriel sighed out eventually. It made Jack soften a bit, and he reached out to squeeze Gabriel's shoulder gently. That was something that Gabriel had gotten better at talking about. Sure Jack had no idea what the content of Gabriels dreams happened to be. But Gabriel had gottne better about telling Jack when he'd had a nightmare, or rough dreams in general. So it was easier for Jack to know when Gabriel needed to take it easy and when the other man was in a good mood. 

Jack was about to speak again when Gabriel opened his mouth first. 

"Can you, maybe stay a bit longer?" Gabriel's tone was quiet, hesitant. As if he was nervous to ask. It made something in Jack completely melt. Screw any plans he had for that day, he would have canceled pretty much anything in favor of making sure Gabriel was alright. Especially if the other man was asking for him to stay. 

"Of course, I'll just have to talk to Jesse when he gets here." Jack nodded, squeezing Gabriel's shoulder again and offering the other man a slight smile. Gabriel lifted his face from his hands, looking sideways at Jack, and Jack could have sworn the look he got was relief. He shot Gabriel a reassuring look before he patted the other man's shoulder and got to his feet. 

"You feel like actually getting dressed, or do you just want to head downstairs?" Jack asked. If he was going to lounge around with Gabriel, he didn't particularly feel like getting dressed. Pajamas were comfortable enough, warm as well. He could just tell it was going to be a rough day for the other man. If he woke up looking so tired it had to be. Jack knew what it felt like to wake up and not even want to drag himself up out of his bed. Hell, he probably would have gone and curled up with Gabriel again if the other man asked. 

"Let's just go downstairs." Gabriel murmured, his eyes still on the floor as Lady nudged her nose against the other man's elbow. Jack's heart was breaking for the guy, he had been doing so well lately. And that had probably gotten Jack's hopes up just a little, maybe he'd recover faster than Jack had hoped? No, he was just being an idiot. He knew himself that there were good days, but that didn't mean that someone had gotten better. If Gabriel needed someone there, Jack was happy to let the other man lean on him. 

The request earned a nod from Jack before he offered Gabriel a hand up. Gabriel's eyes lingered tiredly on the outstretched hand before he took it, and Jack easily pulled Gabriel to his feet. He wanted to drag the taller man into a hug, let Gabriel lean on him until he felt like moving. Though he somehow mustered the resolve not to, instead taking the lead towards the stairs. The ex-angel trailed after him, and Jack could hear the click of Lady's claws on the wood floor as she trotted behind Gabriel. She was a herding dog after all, and would try to herd Jack closer to his friends when she thought they needed to be closer. He could only imagine she was doing just that before they headed down the stairs. 

Jesse's truck was already sitting in the driveway, and Jack glanced out the window before waving Gabriel towards the living room. 

"Why don't you go get settled hm? I've got to tell Jesse I'm taking a day off." Jack nudged Gabriel lightly in the right direction. Only a glance was directed at him before Gabriel wandered off in the right direction. Lady looked between the two men, prancing slightly on the floor and hesitating. Jack knew she was trying to decide who to follow, or if she should just herd them together again. He waved her off in Gabriel's direction, and she only hesitated a second before she trotted off to go find Gabriel and probably curl up with the ex-angel. 

It didn't take Jack long to duck outside and talk to Jesse. The younger man understood the situation, and was completely fine with handling the horses for the morning. It made Jack wonder what he'd do without Jesse sometimes. There were days when he didn't even want to get up himself. But that time he was happy for Gabriel's sake. Jesse was soon pushing Jack to go back inside to join Gabriel. 

He gladly returned to the house, kicking off his boots uncerimoniously at the door. The schedule had been thrown to the wind and he was ready to spend the day lazing around with Gabriel. Jack was happy to provide any sort of emotional support that Gabriel needed. If the other man wanted to spend the whole day doing nothing in their pj's, Jack was happy to do that too. 

The living room was already a cozy spot, but walking in to see Gabriel lounging on the couch with Lady tucked to his side... That was almost too much. Jack hummed a bit as he paused by the end of the couch, taking in the scene quietly. Lady had curled up between Gabriel and one arm of the couch, head laid on Gabriel's leg. And the ex-angel was giving the dog a good scratch behind her ears. He still looked tired though, and Jack cleared his throat to warn Gabriel of his presence. Though he was sure Gabriel had heard him coming already. 

"Want to watch a movie or something?" Jack asked as he moved around to join Gabriel on the couch. He gave the other man some space, but he had to resist the urge to pull Gabriel over and wrap his arms around his companion. At the question Gabriel looked up, blinking as he considered what Jack had said. 

"Sure, I don't really care." Gabriel huffed a bit, turning his gaze back to Lady when she nudged back into his hand. He'd stopped petting her and she didn't seem too pleased about that. Jack stifled a smile, before he settled down to find a movie he thought they'd both like. 

Something in the relaxed fantasy range ended up being his choice, a classic that was relatively laid back. Jack didn't want to affront Gabriel with an action movie or something. So maybe some other time. 

A while after he'd chosen a movie, Jack ended up getting up to make them both some breakfast and coffee while Gabriel curled up on the couch with Lady. The dog seemed happy to be glued to Gabriel since the other man was obviously quite down. Jack was sure he'd be cuddling up to Gabriel just as much if he wasn't afraid of Gabriel being freaked out. Sure they usually woke tangled up together, but that was different from actually making the choice to cuddle up together. 

He brought breakfast back, earning himself a quiet thanks from Gabriel as he settled down on the couch and handed Gabriel a plate. He figured that keeping things chill was best at the moment. Gabriel still didn't look happy, exactly, hell, he still looked pretty exhausted and just... Down, but he was at least accepting some company and recognizing that Jack was there to help. 

They ate in silence, and Jack didn't mind, he ended up folding his legs so he had somewhere to set his plate as he finished what he was eating. He returned to just relaxing when he was done, setting his plate aside but not bothering to actually take it back to the kitchen until he actually felt like it. As it was, he enjoyed the quiet with Gabriel. Though it was often broken by whatever was going on in the movie. Just like Jack's attention. His gaze often flickererd back to Gabriel, so he noticed when the other man had straightened instead of resting against the arm of the couch. 

However, Jack was a bit surprised when he felt Gabriel's shoulder brush against his own. The other man had shifted considerably, and Jack glanced over at him, only to find that Gabriel seemed fixed on the movie. Maybe he hadn't even realized that he'd moved so close. 

It didn't take long for Jack to notice that Gabriel was actually leaning on him. And after deciding that it was definitely intentional, Jack just moved to wrap an arm over Gabriel's shoulders and pull the other man close to his side. He tried to ignore how right it felt when Gabriel relaxed into his side and he felt the other man's head against his shoulder. God, Gabriel was too sweet sometimes. Jack had to make an actual effort to focus on the movie as he relaxed. 

Although, it didn't take long for his arm to start to fall asleep where it rested over Gabriel's shoulders. So Jack considered before he shifted and withdrew from Gabriel. The other man looked confused for a slight moment, before looking away, as if he had done something wrong. But Jack just shifted before holding his arms out to Gabriel once more. 

"C'mere, my arm was falling asleep." He motioned Gabriel over, not flinching under the other man's questioning look. The way Jack had shifted meant that if Gabriel did accept his invitation, the ex-angel would end up laying against Jack's chest. The farmer was a little nervous even subtly proposing the idea, but drealized he didn't have to be. Gabriel only hesitated for a moment before he shifted to rest against Jack once more. 

The farmer was quick to wrap his arms around Gabriel when the other man was settled. He had to resist the urge to bury his face in Gabriel's hair as his hands splayed out against the other man's back. Instead he settled for resting his chin on top of Gabriel's head when his companion was finished adjusting. It was nice, Gabriel wrapped up in his arms. And Jack was really doing his best not to be distracted by the fact that Gabriel had one hand on his chest, the other arm wrapped around his ribs. It made Jack feel like it was completely natural for them to be curled up with each other. 

Sure if he'd been with any of his other friends he never would have gotten so close. But as stupid as it sounded, Gabriel was different. The archangel had probably been without physical contact for horrifically long stretches of time, and since Gabriel seemed to be seeking the contact Jack was happy to offer it. Not to mention that he wasn't entirely heterosexual when it came to Gabriel. That didn't hurt his relaxed attitude about getting close with Gabe. 

"Comfortable?" Jack asked quietly once Gabriel had completely settled in. The question earned him a silent nod, before Gabriel was adjusting again. Jack could feel the other man's cheek pressed to his collar, Gabriel's curls brushing his neck and chin. It was honestly one of the most distracting thing he'd ever dealt with while watching a movie. And he'd actually had some girl slip into his lap during highschool when he was actually trying to focus on the movie. 

"Glad to hear it." He let out a faint chuckle, before he tangled their legs together without even thinking about it. It all just felt right. Jack was too comfortable to care if he was being straight in the slightest. And frankly, Gabriel said he was comfortable, so Jack was perfectly happy with staying right there until he got too cramped to be comfortable any more. 

They fell into another comfortable silence, and Jack's attention fell much more to Gabriel than the movie. First it was the rise and fall of Gabriel's chest against his own, realizing he could feel his companion's pulse against his ribcage. Then it was just the fact that he had a warrior of heaven wrapped up in his arms like Jack was protecting him. Of course, Jack knew Gabriel could handle himself. But honestly he didn't care, he'd still try to protect Gabriel as much as he could. 

He did his best not to get distracted by Gabriel's physical features, but that was harder than he expected. The farmer found his gaze wandering down the curve of Gabriel's back, appreciating the sight of Gabriel's shirt pulled tight over his shoulders. 

It didn't take him long to pull himself out of that, and Jack turned his attention back to the movie in an attempt to distract himself from the person wrapped up in his arms. 

Instinctively, he ended up tracing one hand over Gabriel's shoulders slowly, before he paused to linger at the nape of Gabriel's neck. As soon as Jack realized what he was doing, he heard a low sigh from Gabriel, the other man's frame relaxing slightly as he brushed his thumb over the base of Gabriel's neck. 

Jack gave it a moment before he slowly let his fingers wander upwards, fingers catching in the shorter hair at the base of Gabriel's skull as he watched Gabriel's reactions. Fuck the movie, he was much more interested in Gabriel's responses to his touch. He hoped Gabriel couldn't feel his pulse, because he could have sworn his heart was practically fluttering. Especially when he let his hand slide up into Gabriel's hair properly. 

Gabriel seemed to relax even more at that, and Gabriel paused as the man shifted in his arms. Gabriel ended up pushing his face just a bit more into the farmer's collar. It made Jack wonder if the other man was watching the movie either. He didn't much care, and didn't think about it much as he slowly started to run his fingers through Gabriel's curls. Jack hadn't realized how thick Gabriel's hair was until he had one hand buried in it. At that point, Gabriel had his full attention. Jack probably would have denied it if asked, but nobody had asked. 

He slowly got a bit bolder, until he was absently carding his fingers through Gabriel's hair, occassionally letting his fingertips drag against Gabriel's temple or the base of his skull. The other man had absolutely melted against him. And Jack really hoped that the contact was helping Gabriel relax. By all observable evidence, that seemed to be the case. He could have laid there for hours, Gabriel laying with him, Lady curled at their feet. It was the most at-peace he'd been in a very long time. And it helped to know that maybe he was helping a little with whatever was troubling Gabriel. 

Jack realized he'd zoned out when he caught the tail end of Gabriel saying something. Of course, he'd been more focused on playing with Gabriel's hair. So he didn't actually get to hear what Gabriel said, and that had him flushing slightly in embarrassment. 

"What was that?" He asked, looking down at Gabriel as he scratched through the other man's hair again. Jack would have been content just to mess with Gabriel's hair for hours. Why? He had literally no idea, but it had Gabriel relaxing, so there was one thing. 

"'M tired." Gabriel repeated. Jack blinked a bit at the gravelly sound of Gabriel's exhaustion-soaked voice. He held together surprisingly well though, shifting his grip on Gabriel slightly. 

"We could go back to bed?" Jack offered quietly. His own voice was quiet, soothing as his fingertips traced down the side of Gabriel's neck behind his ear absently. The ex-angel hummed slightly at that, shifting so Jack had a tiny bit more space. At least, that was what it looked like to the farmer. 

"Nah, this 's fine." Gabriel yawned. The hand he'd had resting on Jack's chest, he moved so he could wrap both arms around Jack's ribcage, squeezing the farmer slightly. Was he dreaming? Or was Gabriel not only seeking physical contact, but being a tiny bit clingy about it? If he was dreaming he never wanted to wake up. The comment drew a faint chuckle from Jack though, and he nodded before he adjusted slightly. 

"I may have to move eventually here. If I'm like this for more than a few hours my back will hate me." Jack yawned, hand sliding back into Gabriel's hair as his other hand smoothed down the curve of his companion's spine. He wasn't even thinking about what he was doing with his hands at that point. It was all instinct. Gabriel made a noise of discontent at the comment though, drawing another half-laugh from Jack. 

"If nothing else that just means I'd have to move a little." Jack scoffed. Gabriel seemed eased by that thought, letting himself relax completely again as Jack resumed his attentions to the other man's hair. 

"I'm not just going to evict you, you look prety comfy." The farmer hummed. That earned him a low scoff, and he could practically feel Gabriel smile against his collar. God that was a feeling he wished he had the opportunity to get used to. As comfortable as he was, and as normal as it felt to have Gabriel laying in his arms, he was still pretty in awe at the other man. He couldn't get over Gabriel, how the other man had started opening up to him, how Gabriel reacted to some things, hell, even how the guy slept. He couldn't get over how it felt to make progress in getting the other man on his feet once more. 

"Good, I don't want to have to sulk alone the rest of the day." Gabriel snorted, voice slightly muffled from where he had half his face pushed against Jack's chest. Jack laughed slightly in response, a happy smile tugging at the edges of his features. 

"You've got Lady." Jack teased lightly, letting himself shift a bit, pulling Gabriel tight against himself again and letting out a low sigh. He had never been afraid of physical contact, but there was something about being curled up with Gabriel that seemed to make it even better. Maybe it was the fact that Gabriel's body slotted perfectly against his own, or the way the other man seemed to relax completely against him. It was insane, Jack couldn't believe Gabriel could relax so much around him. 

"She'll want to run around sometime." Gabriel huffed. Jack felt his companion's hands curl into his shirt, and had to stifle another smile as he patted Gabriel's back reassuringly. 

"Fine, I'll stay, but only cause I don't think you should be sulking." Jack hummed, a teasing look gracing his features as Gabriel let out an amused snort. Jack was just glad that Gabriel was feeling well enough to be joking around. Apparently about an hour of cuddling up together helped to considerably boost Gabriel's mood. 

"Good." Gabriel hummed, shifting and snuggling even more agaisnt Jack. Honestly Jack felt like he was going to scream because of how sweet Gabriel was being. As much as he liked to know Gabriel was recovering, he loved the contact more than he'd ever admit. He'd happily give up his schedules for the sake of being there for Gabriel when the other man had bad days. Jack hated to think of Gabriel trying to cope on his own, so he was happy to provide company. 

After that they ended up falling into a relaxed silence, choosing another couple movies before Jack ended up having to get up. Gabriel seemed reluctant to move, but he did after a moment. 

Jack was quick to return though, bringing drinks along as well as they hadn't really moved from the couch in a while, and he figured Gabriel could probably use a warm drink to ease any kind of nerves. 

What Jack wasn't expecting though, was for Gabriel to take one sip of the coffee he'd been given, before Jack was being nudged back into his spot on the couch. The farmer would have laughed if he wasn't overwhelmed by how adorable Gabriel was. The archangel, warrior of heaven, who was going to be clingy, and just a little bit pushy about the cuddling. It was fucking adorable. 

~~~

The rest of the day passed without much incident. The most exciting thing to happen was Jack spilling water when he and Gabriel finally dragged themselves off the couch to make a proper meal for dinner. That was it though. Most of their day was spent on the couch wrapped up with each other. Not that Jack was protesting in the slightest. Oh hell no. He couldn't think of a better way to spend the day. Especially since it seemed to help a lot when it came to Gabriel's emotional state. Sure he looked a little tired, but they both did, and the important thing was that even if he looked tired, he didn't look troubled. 

After Jack ducked out to check and make sure the horses were set for the night, he decided it was time for bed. He and Gabriel were both unnaturally tired after having laid around all day. Hell, they'd spent some time napping on each other as well. Which was nice as hell, but surprisingly, didn't seem like it was going to interfere with their sleep. 

They did have to change into different sets of pajamas though. Jack didn't want to sleep in the same clothes he'd been wearing for nearly twenty four hours. Gabriel seemed to agree, and by the time Jack had climbed into bed, Gabriel had wandered in to join him. The ex-angel didn't even have to ask any more. It just became a given. 

However, Jack was a bit surprised when Gabriel flopped down next to him and he was immediately pulled back against Gabriel's chest. Usually they went to sleep on opposite sides of the bed and woke up having somehow moved in their sleep. So having Gabriel wrapped around him, knowing the other man was completely awake made him blank for just a moment. But then Lady came bounding up on the bed, flopping down against Jack's chest, tongue lolling, grinning her doggy grin. 

Jack couldn't remember the last time he'd relaxed so quickly into someone holding him. But as it was, he was incredibly comfortable in Gabriel's arms. One of the other man's arms curled around his waist, the other was across his chest, pulling him back and holding him tight. Something about the hold was different than usual, but Jack relaxed either way. And Lady seemed happy to tuck herself against Jack, laying her head on his arm. 

There were worries that popped into his mind, questions, reminders that what he was doing was wrong. He wasn't supposed to be attracted to men at all. Let alone someone like Gabriel. But he managed to push all those down for once to just enjoy the moment. If Gabriel wasn't actively seeking contact then Jack had no idea what he was doing. So the farmer just let himself breathe. 

Instead of worrying, he folded his arm over Gabriel's on his stomach, other arm curling around Lady. 

It didn't take long for him to start to drift, but he was awake enough to feel when Gabriel laced their fingers together. Jack ended up falling alseep with a faint smile gracing his features.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed a cute lil moment because I honestly loved writing this. As usual, if you've got any ideas, or anything of that sort feel free to toss a comment my way!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to wait, to post this. But honestly I have no self control, and the overwhelming positive response to the last chapter did nothing to help my resolve. (but seriously, I love my readers, y'all are amazing)
> 
> Anyways, here's this.

From then on, things seemed to change between them. 

That was natural, of course. If they had ignored a day spent curled up with each other, that would have been more strange. It still surprised Jack though. It seemed like getting so close had sparked something in the archangel. Jack didn't think that archangels were wired to be clingy, but Gabriel seemed much more keen on seeking physical contact than he had been. 

Not that Jack was protesting in the slightest. It just startled him. Especially when Gabriel did things like randomly hug him from behind while he was making coffee in the morning. He wasn't adverse to the contact at all, quite the opposite actually, but it was a little confusing to say the least. He knew that Gabriel probably didn't get the social norms that humans did, but didn't he have some sort of idea that what he was doing was maybe pushing the borders of 'friendly contact'?

Jack kept telling himself that he'd set Gabriel straight, explain where the boundaries usually were when it came to friends. But every time he considered telling Gabriel, he realized that telling the ex-angel may actually push the other man away again. And he didn't want to do that. Maybe it was a little selfish, but it wasn't bothering anyone if Gabriel wanted to be clingy. Or... Not really clingy, just, physically affectionate. 

As much as Jack enjoyed the contact, every damn time, he actually did start to get used to it. 

Every morning he'd get up and head downstairs to start coffee and sometimes breakfast. Then, a few minutes later like clockwork, Gabriel would come wandering down the stairs. It was only a moment between hearing the last creak of the stairs and feeling Gabriel's arms loop around his middle. Often times that was followed by Gabriel's head laid against his shoulder and the other man sleepily asking when coffee would be ready. 

It was fucking adorable, every damn day. 

Maybe one day, Jack would get around to telling Gabriel that friends weren't so... friendly, with each other. But he doubted he'd do it unless someone else called Gabriel out. How could Jack say no to Gabriel randomly hugging him, or getting dragged down into bed practically every night with Gabriel's arms around him 

Sure some things stayed the same. Like every night when they retired to the porch after eating. Half the time they ended up sitting on opposite ends of the stairs so they could stretch their legs out. 

That evening was no different. The conversation had thinned out to nothing, and they had fallen to quietly watching one of the barn cats giving Lady a bath. Lady was happily sprawled on the grass, tongue lolling as she wiggled happily and occasionally got a swat for not holding still. 

Jack's attention was snapped back to Gabriel, however, when the ex angel nudged his leg. He quirked an eyebrow to see Gabriel wasn't even looking at him. Instead the other man's eyes were on the sky. 

"Yeah?" Jack prompted, nudging Gabriel's leg in return when the other man didn't actually provide a statement or question. Jack knew that the ex-angel could get distracted every now and then. But he didn't realize it Gabriel could be so quickly sidetracked. His response earned the other man's gaze back on him though. 

"Have you ever actually spent time looking at the stars?" Gabriel asked abruptly. The question was completely out of the blue, and Jack blinked a bit in surprise. That wasn't what he was expecting from Gabriel, a bit of an odd question, but he nodded anyways. 

"Of course, not since high school though, haven't had the time." Jack shrugged. He really hadn't. He'd been busy with the farm since he settled down, and usually wasn't awake long enough to enjoy the stars at night. 

Gabriel looked at him strangely for a moment, before humming lightly and turning his attention back to the sky. Jack was left a little baffled by Gabriel's question, and reaction to his response, but that didn't mean he was going to question the ex-angel. Instead he just let the silence stretch out. Neither of them made any move to get up, and Lady wasn't scratching at the door, so there was no reason to.

He had to stifle a faint smile of amusement when Gabriel leaned out over the stairs to look past where the roof got in his way. Jack wondered what was going through the other man's mind, but he didn't feel like asking and disrupting the silence. However, he nearly broke the silence with a faint laugh when Gabriel nearly toppled over in his effort to get a better look at the sky. 

"If you want a better look, we can move." Jack offered. He figured that if Gabriel wanted to go sit on the grass so they could get a better look at the stars, that would be fine. Besides, stargazing with Gabriel? Hell yes, Jack would give up hours of sleep for that. Gabriel raised an eyebrow at him when he offered though. 

"What? I don't want you falling down the stairs trying to see the big dipper." Jack shot Gabriel a slightly teasing smirk, shifting before he pushed himself to his feet. It seemed like there was something on Gabriel's mind, so Jack figured that maybe, if they stayed up a bit longer... Maybe Gabriel would get around to talking about it without Jack having to encourage him?

He waved for Gabriel to follow as he trotted down the stairs and headed to go to the other side of the house where their view wouldn't be blocked by the buildings or the corn. The stairs creaked slightly when Gabriel got up, and Jack glanced over his shoulder to see if the other man was really following him. Gabriel was, and so was Lady, she fell into place beside the taller man. It was too dark for Jack to really see Gabriel's face, but he had a feeling that Gabriel was just a little confused as to what he had in mind. 

It didn't take long for Jack to find a spot that he deemed good for sitting to look up at the stars. Lady trotted over to tuck herself against his leg as soon as he sat down, and soon Gabriel was sitting on his other side. Jack didn't bother saying anything, as the atmosphere was perfectly comfortable as it was. 

Sure the temperature was dropping steadily since it had gotten completely dark, but it wasn't cold enough to bother Jack. Though the scent of cool grass hung heavy in the air, mixed with the sounds of peepers from the pond and the other sounds of the night. It made for a really nice relaxing mood, and Jack leaned back on his hands as he turned his own gaze to the stars. The moon was a tiny sliver in the sky, so the stars seemed to stand out more than usual, it was nice, and Jack wondered why he didn't stargaze more often. 

Oh, right, he'd been living alone for years. 

But Jack had someone to stargaze with, and Gabriel seemed enthralled with the view. Since they were out of the shade of the porch, the stars cast enough light for Jack to see Gabriel's faint smile. 

Was he really sitting under the stars with the guy he couldn't out of his mind?

Jack forced down an exasperated groan as he flopped back onto the grass. He ended up settling there, folding his arms behind his head and glowering up at the stars as if they could offer him answers as to what the hell he was doing. He had just wanted Gabriel to be able to get a better look at the stars. He didn't actually have to stick around, Gabriel could just as easily hang out alone... But Jack was still going to stay. 

"I helped position some of these you know." Gabriel's voice broke the silence, making Jack look up at the other man. He didn't have to look up for long, as it only took a moment before Gabriel laid back on the grass, shoulder bumping against Jack's as he pointed up at a cluster of stars. 

"Those there, Michael and I argued for so long about those." Gabriel let out a faint huff of laughter before he dropped his arm, draping it over his abdomen. Jack didn't even look up at the stars, he was more focused on Gabriel laying right next to him in the grass, looking relaxed despite the far-away look in his eyes. 

"Who won?" Jack asked, curious about whatever Gabriel had to say. The ex-angel hadn't mentioned any of the other angels before that point, so he certainly had Jack's interest.

"Oh, I did." Gabriel snorted. "Doesn't seem so important now though... They're just stars." Gabriel yawned, lifting his head so he could fold his other arm behind his head. 

"I would say that it did matter but... Honestly." Jack laughed a bit, though his laugh only got louder when Gabriel elbowed him in the side. 

"Hey! I worked hard on those, asshole." Gabriel still had a lopsided grin on his face though, turning to look at Jack with that same grin. It made Jack's throat go a bit tight. Had he actually had one of Gabriel's smiles directed at him before? He wasn't quite sure. But he could feel heat rising to his cheeks, and he was suddenly very glad it was dark as his gaze lingered on that beautiful smile. 

"Dude, they're stars, I don't see why it was so important." Jack scoffed, forcing his gaze back up to the sky. He was not hyper-aware of Gabriel's body heat, not at all. Nor was he thinking of just rolling over and kissing the idiot laying in the grass next to him. That didn't mean he didn't want to. The idea just hadn't, obviously, crossed his mind or anywhere near his mind, nope. 

"Oh shut up, it was something to do." Gabriel muttered, a smile in his voice despite the vague attempt to sound grumpy.

Jack stifled another laugh before they fell into another relaxed silence. Jack had questions though, questions about the other angels, what Gabriel had been like before he fell. He didn't even remember much about what Gabriel had supposedly done, according to the bible. 

Jack's thoughts faded out though as he started to realize how much the temperature had dropped while they were laying there. He hadn't realized he was shivering until he started thinking about it. Lady and Gabriel both seemed fine, but then again, Jack considered both of them to be damn furnaces. 

"Is it just me or is it cold?" Jack huffed, pushing himself up into a sitting position once more. He hadn't bothered with any sort of jacket when they went outside, and the hoodie he wore would only do so much. He glanced down at Gabriel for conformation that it wasn't just him though, Gabriel had to feel it at least a little. 

"Nope, just you." Gabriel yawned a bit as he sat up as well, lifting a hand to run through his hair. Jack had a thought of the fact that he could just as easily do that for Gabriel, but he pushed that out of his mind before it was even fully formed. He was about to open his mouth when Gabriel looked at him relatively intensely for a long moment. 

"Here, I've got an idea." Gabriel huffed before he pushed himself to his feet. Jack quirked an eyebrow as Gabriel moved, sitting down behind him. What the hell?

His train of thought was completely derailed when Gabriel wrapped an arm around his midsection, and he was pulled back against the taller man's chest. It made his breath stutter a bit in his chest, because Gabriel had just fucking moved him like he was nothing. The breathlessness also had nothing to do with the fact that Gabriel hooked an arm over his shoulder. It was just taking Jack a moment to process. 

The farmer did relax after a moment though, trying to figure out if he was supposed to be focused on Gabriel's arm draped easily across his chest, the hand curled around his side, or the fact that he was sitting between the other man's legs, practically laying back against Gabriel's chest. It was all a bit much to properly sink in. He didn't give a shit though, it felt too right for him to think about it too much. Especially when Gabriel pulled his legs up just a bit so Jack really was sitting right between his companion's knees. 

"Better?" Gabriel's voice was right against his ear, and Jack could have sworn he died a little bit when he felt Gabriel's breath against his skin. He mustered a jerky nod after a moment of trying to remember how to breathe. Oh yeah, much better, but not because it was much warmer wrapped up in Gabriel's arms. 

It took him a second to figure out what to do with his hands, and ended up folding his arms over his abdomen as he leaned back into Gabriel's hold. He was too tired to care that he was relaxing like he belonged in Gabriel's arms. Instead he just shifted to rest his head back against Gabriel's shoulder, turning his head and letting his gaze skim down the line of his companion's throat. Gabriel's gaze was still on the stars. And Jack took a moment to look up at Gabriel from where he was. 

He was close enough that he could see the flecks of light reflected in Gabriel's eyes. The smile had left Gabriel's face, but he still looked happy and relaxed. The light streaming down from the stars seemed to catch on his features much differently than sunlight did, and Jack had to take a moment to appreciate that. 

"Can I ask a stupid question?" Jack asked quietly, turning his head so he could look back up at the stars again. He was so damn comfortable, and had to brush that thought from his mind to actually focus on what he wanted to ask. 

"Go ahead." Jack could fucking feel the chuckle Gabriel let out, rumbling deep in the other man's chest. 

It took him a second to get oriented again. 

"Well... I was just curious, were you different? Y'know, before all this?" Jack nearly winced at how terribly he had phrased the question. Gabriel didn't seem to withdraw when he asked though, and he turned his gaze back to Gabriel's face as he waited for a response of some kind, even if it was just Gabriel telling him to stop asking questions. 

"Of course." Gabriel responded after a moment of thought. Jack tried to focus on what he was saying, but Gabriel shifted, causing the arm draped over Jack's chest to drop more. It meant Gabriel's hand fanned out against Jack's rib cage. Which was, in fact, incredibly fucking distracting. He was about to focus on Gabriel again with another question, but Gabriel was already speaking. 

"I was... Louder? More commanding I guess?" He shrugged. "The whole 'Messenger of God' thing had a lot to do with it." Jack nodded a bit in understanding, wondering what it would have been like to encounter Gabriel while he was still an archangel. 

"Although, personality wise I don't really think i had much of one before this?" Gabriel's nose wrinkled a bit, and Jack could only assume Gabriel was trying to figure out some way to describe it. 

"Think me... But without any emotions I guess? Archangels aren't meant to be empathetic or anything. So... I was just kind of cold, I think." Jack had to think pretty hard to even begin to imagine what Gabriel would be like without emotions. And even then he couldn't grasp the concept. 

"Well, no. I wouldn't say I didn't have any emotions, just not any strong ones." Gabriel added. Jack could understand that a bit more, and took a quiet moment to think about it as he re-folded his arms, his hand brushing slightly against Gabriel's as he settled down again. 

"What about the others?" Jack asked tentatively. "What were they like?" Gabriel was still relaxed, and Jack knew that the other man wouldn't answer the question if it actually made him uncomfortable. 

"Um... Michael was just really irritable? We never really got along, then again, Michael never got along with anyone." Gabriel's eyes remained on the stars, but his look was far away as he spoke. It made Jack wonder what he was thinking about the other archangels. He was just curious, and he wanted to know more about what Gabriel's life had been like before he fell. 

"As awful as it may sound to you, given his reputation, I always got along with Lucifer better." Gabriel huffed out a half-laugh, smile quirking at his mouth. 

"He was pretty laid back when he and Michael weren't butting heads. They disagreed worse than any two angels ever created." Gabriel shook his head, fingers tracing absently against Jack's ribs. 

"Then, of course, humans came around, and you know what happened there." Gabriel sighed, his expression dropped a bit, and instinctively, Jack moved to twine his fingers through Gabriel's against his ribs. He ended up giving the ex-angel's hand a slight, reassuring squeeze before Gabriel continued. 

"I agreed with him at first too. At that point, I thought humans were a mistake, they were so... futile. Breakable." Gabriel wrinkled his nose in distaste. "I could never understand wh God insisted we love humans more than we cared for him." The ex-angel was obviously recalling something as his brows knit together in a scowl. After a long moment though, he relaxed once more, shifting his arm and hand so he could properly tangle their fingers together, palms pressed together. 

"And then I stepped over the line, and I fell." 

Jack blinked a bit in surprise when Gabriel's attention flickered to him. The look he got made his face heat up again, and he could have sworn his stomach was doing flips. 

"I realized pretty damn fast that I was wrong." Something in Gabriel's tone made Jack shiver a bit, or maybe it was the way the ex-angel looked at him. There was no smile on Gabriel's face, he didn't look angry, but there was obviously something on his mind. Jack was trying to think straight, but his mind kept lingering on how close their faces were, the fact that he could practically feel each of Gabriel's exhales against his lips. It was making his head spin. 

"What changed your mind?" Jack asked, barely above a whisper. He had to say something, or he'd be staring at Gabriel's mouth like an idiot. He couldn't even figure out the look he was getting from Gabriel, so he figured it was just best to ask another question. At least he could keep the other man talking until he figured out what the fuck was going on. 

"You." 

Jack would have opened his mouth to ask another question, but had Gabriel just moved closer? Or was he just imagining it? The farmer struggled to regain enough brain power before deciding that yes, Gabriel had definitely moved closer. There was only about an inch and a half of space between their lips, and Jack was mentally scrambling to make himself do something. He was frozen, unsure of what the hell Gabriel was doing. Jack knew that, with all the reading Gabriel had been doing, he had to know the connotations of how close they were at that point. A lot of things could be swept aside but- 

Jack cut off his own thoughts when he realized that he could feel Gabriel's heart racing against the back of his shoulder where he leaned against the other man's chest. His own breath was rattling in his throat, but he still couldn't make himself move. He could only watch Gabriel with fairly wide eyes, trying to sort the situation out before he had a heart attack, because it felt like he was going to. 

He didn't have much longer to try to decipher before Gabriel had closed the space between them in only a breath. 

The farmer was pretty sure his heart stopped the second Gabriel's lips made contact with his own. 

It took him a second to even realize what was happening. But when he did, he could feel his heart pounding. He could hardly even think enough to remember how to respond. His mind didn't fuck him over completely though, and after a moment of his mental faculties being completely useless, Jack managed to respond. 

His grip on Gabriel's hand tightened, and he let his eyes fall closed as he pressed back into the kiss. He was actually kissing Gabriel. As in, he wasn't imagining it, he wasn't thinking about it. It was actually happening. 

Pushing all the thoughts from his mind took a moment, but it was worth it when he could focus on actually kissing Gabriel. Sure, the angle could have been better, his leg could have not been asleep, but he couldn't care less. Gabriel's lips were soft, and the other man's grip on him hadn't faltered for a second. That overrode any discomforts that came from sitting on the ground. 

Eventually, Gabriel pulled back, and Jack had to actually think about breathing. Because otherwise he was sure he would have forgotten anyways. He managed a few shaky breaths before Gabriel's lips were on his again. 

That time he was actually ready for it, and was kissing back instantly. He ended up shifting without breaking the kiss, so he wasn't straining his neck. The way he settled was much better, and allowed him to rest his free hand against the side of Gabriel's neck. A moment later he gently released Gabriel's hand, so he could wrap both arms over Gabriel's shoulders. 

There was almost no gap between him readjusting and Gabriel's arms wrapping around him once more. Jack hardly noticed though, his focus was all on kissing Gabriel. Though, unfortunately, he did have to breathe. And that meant pulling away with a rough gasp. He didn't move away though, instead he rested his forehead against Gabriel's, taking a moment. 

"Where the hell did that come from?" Jack flushed a bit more when he realized how shaky he sounded. He hoped Gabriel sounded just as flustered. 

"I've... Been thinking about doing that for a while." Gabriel admitted after a slight pause. The quiet confession earned the ex-angel a breathless laugh. 

"I can understand that." Jack shook his head a bit, a grin lingered on his features before he let out another faint chuckle. 

"You could have done that a week ago, asshole." Jack muttered, though the smile didn't fade in the slightest. He didn't give Gabriel another chance to kiss him though, he shifted and buried his face in the side of Gabriel's neck, grinning like an idiot and leaning against the other man's chest. 

"How was I supposed to know?" Gabriel snorted. Jack could only shrug helplessly as he felt the other man's hands run down his back. Jesus, he was dead. It was official, he had died right after dinner and he was just in heaven. That had to be it. Jack couldn't imagine any other explanation. 

"Shut up." Jack grumbled, pushing a bit closer to Gabriel as he did his best to stifle the stupid grin on his face. If he kept smiling his cheeks were going to hurt. Did he care? Honestly Jack wasn't sure at that point. 

"We should get back inside, it's late." Gabriel yawned after another fairly long moment of silence. Jack had to think for a moment before he nodded in agreement. That sounded like a good plan. He wasn't even sure if he could sleep after that, but he'd be damned if he wouldn't try. It meant he'd be wrapped in Gabriel's arms in another few minutes. 

"That means getting up." Jack grumbled, shifting and pressing his face to Gabriel's hoodie. 

They did eventually muster the will to pull away from each other, and Jack had to wake Lady up from where she'd fallen asleep on the grass. They all somehow made it back into the house and up the stairs. Gabriel broke off to go get some clothes to wear to bed, and Jack was quick to change into some pajamas. 

Lady hopped up into bed like usual, and Jack didn't waste any time sliding under the covers to wait for Gabriel to show up. As usual, that didn't take long either. Jack had already stretched out on his side when Gabriel flopped down beside him. It only took the taller man a moment to get settled, before Jack was pulled in close to Gabriel once again. 

He didn't even hesitate to tuck his head up under Gabriel's chin, letting out a content hum as the ex-angel pulled the covers up over them properly. 

"We should probably talk about this eventually." Gabriel murmured, after Jack had nearly dozed off against his companion's chest. Jack gave a sleepy groan of protest, shifting to push his face into Gabriel's collar. 

"Shhh, sleep." His voice was muffled by Gabriel's shirt, but he didn't care. As much as he thought he wouldn't be able to sleep, Gabriel was comfortable and warm. 

The other man let out a low chuckle, and murmured something under his breath that Jack didn't quite catch. He didn't have the energy to ask though, and instead just adjusted his grip on Gabriel in the hopes that none of his limbs would go numb while he slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY
> 
> I had to stop and lay on the floor multiple times while writing this chapter. I wish I was kidding. Honestly, if I had any artistic talent, I would draw these two idiots cuddling under the stars. But I can't draw haha. If any of y'all want to draw any of this, go ahead, it's too cute sometimes. 
> 
> (Also sorry this is so heckin' short)
> 
> As usual, feel free to leave any ideas or anything in the comments below!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't had a great week, so have a really short self-indulgent chapter because?? I wanted to write this so here it is. 
> 
> (slight warning for mentions of combat/people getting seriously messed up in a war zone/etc (basically just, read at your own discretion, all that stuff is in italics))

_His lungs were absolutely burning. It was a combonation of dust, smoke and hot sand grating at his throat. It didn't help that the sand was in his eyes too, it was fucking everywhere, like the heat, and the screaming._

_The building behind the platoon had gone down only moments previous, throwing up a huge cloud of rubble. It greatly decreased visibility, and the American soldiers were floundering in the dust. Jack's mind was spinning, where was the rattle of automatic gunfire coming from? He didn't dare lift his own weapon for the sake of any civilians in the area, firing blindly was a horrible idea._

_Someone was yelling out orders, or instructions, but Jack's ears were ringing too much for him to actually discern what they were saying or who they were shouting at. It probably concerned him, but he couldn't tell until one of the other soldiers bumped against him, elbowing him as the other man turned to join with the rest of the group. Maybe Jack had been too close to the blast when the building had gone down, his head felt heavy and thick, thinking didn't seem to be an option at that moment._

_He followed the others though, doing his best to clear his head as they abandoned the smoke-filled area. The rubble of the fallen building was still belching thick black smoke. And it was making all the men cough, Jack included._

_It seemed to be that their officer had found cover, and through the haze that clouded his mind, Jack felt relief washing over him. He hated being out in the open, hearing people firing at him and not having any idea what the hell was going on. Usually he was much sharper, but something about the explosion had knocked him slightly off kilter._

_The group began filing in the direction of a partially-burned warehouse. Only for an explosion to erupt from the ground directly under one of the men, completely blowing apart his legs. The fire from the blast quickly engulfed a few others, and there was only a breath, before Jack felt the shock from the explosion shake him._

~~~

Jack woke gasping, tangled in the blankets with the names of his comrades clawing up his throat. One of the men had stepped on some sort of IED, Jack had heard later. But it had killed men he knew, trusted, and had even befriended. He couldn't shake the memory though, and it took him a moment to realize that Lady had crawled up onto his legs. Jack felt like he was concussed again, his mind sluggish as he struggled to breathe. He felt like he was going to be sick, the smell of blood, hot sand and smoke seemed to be stuck in his lungs and he couldn't breathe.

He startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Who the hell was in his bed? What was going on? It took him a panicked moment to remember Gabriel, and that the other man was there to support him, not kill him. Jack didn't relax when Gabriel's arms slipped around him though. He could still feel his heart pounding in his chest. The terror of that moment still racing around in his mind. That had been it, he'd seen someone get blown to pieces, he'd seen half of the men he knew burned alive, and had never been able to forget it.

Gabriel was murmuring to him, soft and reassuring, warm hands pressed to Jack's chest. The farmer slowly began to relax, struggling to control his breathing as he pushed the memory away to the back reaches of his mind. It helped considerably to have the warmth of his companion against his back, Gabriel's gentle voice in his ear. Not to mention Lady, who had crawled into his lap like she always did.

Breathing slowly ot easier, and Jack forced himself to calm down, leaning back into Gabriel's hold as Lady nudged and licked at his hands, trying to get his attention.

"Better?" Gabriel's tone was laced with concern. Jack could only nod quietly in response, tipping his head back agaisnt Gabriel's shoulder. He didn't even know how long he had been trembling in Gabriel's arms. The sick feeling in the pit of his stomach had yet to fade, but at least he didn't feel like he was about to throw up any more. Jack fell silent again, focusing on his breathing while he tangled his hands into Lady's fur. Gabriel didn't talk any more either, but Jack could feel his companion's cheek against his temple, and the rise and fall of Gabriel's chest against his back.

"Sorry about that..." Jack rasped out eventually. It still felt like his throat had been scorched with sand and smoke. He'd spent weeks trying to wash the taste of death out of his mouth, and it was back to haunt him again.

"Don't apologize Jack." Jack could feel Gabriel shake his head from where he was, and didn't open his mouth to argue. He was too tired to fight about it, and instead shifted so he could press his face into the side of Gabriel's neck. It was something else to focus on that wasn't the memory of burning corpses and charred army uniforms.

Jack ended up shifting a bit more in Gabe's grip. He tried not to move too much so he didn't dislodge Lady, but she adjusted quickly. It made the farmer wonder how he'd gotten by before he had Lady or Gabriel around. Though, one of the reasons he'd gotten Lady was because of the awful nightmares and the fact that he needed a companion of some variety. She'd been a source of comfort ever since, and he had never once regretted getting her.

Having Gabriel around though, that practically worked miracles. Sure Jack didn't feel great, but he wasn't still re-living the memory. He had slumped against Gabriel, eyes half lidded and his focus on matching his breathing with his companion's.

It hadn't been too long since that horrific day. Years, at best. Sometimes Jack forgot how fast it could all come back and hit him right in the gut with all sorts of memories.

He had been recovering for weeks, the concussion matched with his injuries from the blast... It was awful. The whole time it had been a blur of lights that were far too bright, worried doctors, and general discomfort. Thankfully he wasn't going through that any more though.

Nope, he was wrapped up with the archangel he cared deeply about and the dog he'd called his companion for years. That was much better than some haphazardly constructed military hospital in a war zone. Hell, Jack was lucky he'd gotten out of the service with all of his limbs and his mind in tact. He took a moment to appreciate that as he pushed his nose against the bolt of Gabriel's jaw. If Lady hadn't been laying across his lap demanding some of his attention, he probably would have turned and held onto his human companion as tight as Gabriel's arms wrapped around him. Jack endlessly appreciated the tight grip though, it did a good job of keeping him grounded.

After a long moment of quiet, Jack did lift a hand to grip at Gabriel's forearm. His fingers curled tightly against the fabric of Gabriel's shirt, silently seeking yet another conformation that he was definitely back in the real world and not lost in his memories. The other two had done a very good job of grounding him, but he still needed to be sure for himself. One hand in Lady's fur, one on Gabriel. It helped considerably as Jack finally let his eyes fall completely shut, no longer afraid to fall back into the nightmare.

"Want to talk about it?" Gabriel's voice didn't actually startle Jack. But he did blink his eyes open quietly, stretching his arm up at an odd angle to brush his hand through Gabriel's hair without thinking.

"Not really." Jack responded with a little huff, his fingers found their way to the base of Gabriel's neck where his hand settled. Gabriel didn't push it after that, and Jack actually really appreciated that his companion didn't pry. He never would have pushed Gabriel either, and apparently it had rubbed off on the archangel. Sometimes Jack would have wanted to talk about it, but it wasn't one of those times. It was enough to just have Gabriel there, with him, keeping him rooted to reality.

"Thank you though." Jack murmured, turning his head to press a tiny kiss to the underside of his companion's jaw. He and Gabriel hadn't actually talked about their relationship, or whatever it had developed into. Thankfully they were already comfortable enough together to know where the lines were. Jack just wanted to show his appreciation for the soft moment.

"Don't worry about it." Gabriel hummed low in his throat. Jack couldn't help but relax a bit at the other man's sleep-drenched tone. The ex-angel always sounded a bit like he'd swallowed gravel when he first woke up, it was nice to listen to.

Jack's arm was starting to cramp in protest to the awkward way he had twisted it, so he ended up dropping his hand to where Gabriel's fingers curled over his shoulder. His hand fell into place over Gabriel's, and Jack sighed faintly as he traced his fingers over the back of the other man's hand without thinking about it. Lady had dozed off in his lap, so Jack had resigned himself to staying where he was for a while.

"We should do this more often." Jack murmured, turning as much as he could with Lady in his lap so he could properly bury his face against the crook of Gabriel's neck.

"What? Nightmares?" Gabriel sounded a bit confused, and it earned a small snort of amusment from Jack, a tiny smile quirking at his lips.

"No, this... Just quiet, relaxing." Apparently he had to make a clarification, and Gabriel seemed to understand that a lot more, nodding in agreement. Jack enjoyed spending time doing pretty much anything with Gabriel, but since they'd gotten closer, his favorite moments were the ones spent just quietly curled up with each other. There was no pressure for conversation, no worries of anyone being uncomfortable. They knew each other surprisingly well.

The quiet drew out unhindered once more as Jack let out a low sigh. He could have stayed there for hours happily, just listening to the sound of Gabriel breathing and Lady's tiny little dog snores. His legs were starting to go numb though, and it made Jack wrinkle his nose in distaste.

"'M legs are asleep." His voice was partially muffled from where he had his face pressed into Gabriel's shirt. He didn't want to move, but he would have to before he couldn't feel anything from the hips down.

"Then move." Gabriel suggested, shifting his grip slightly. Jack took a moment to lift his head from where he'd settled, glancing down at Lady piled into his lap. He immediately settled once more, shaking his head as he carded his fingers through her thick fur again.

"No, dog's asleep." He wasn't really awake enough to care about proper grammar, and knew he'd get his point across with just that. The dog was asleep on him, he couldn't disturb that if he didn't have to. He was a firm believer that once the animal had fallen asleep on someone, they were not allowed to move until that animal had woken up and moved on it's own will.

"Jack, she'll get over it." Jack could hear the smile in Gabriel's voice, but shook his head again. No, he wasn't going to move unless he really started to get uncomfortable. He could live with his legs being asleep, and he didn't actually plan on going back to sleep himself. So there was that.

Gabriel let out a frustrated grumble, but didn't force Jack to move as the farmer settled down once again. He just didn't want to dirupt his dog. Lady was so sweet when she was asleep, Jack had decided long ago he would never mess with her sleep if he didn't have to.

"You can go back to sleep if you want to." Jack offered quietly. He didn't want to keep Gabriel up if the ex-angel wanted to sleep. Sleep could be difficult for the both of them, even bunking together like they had been doing recently.

"Nah, you're right, this is nice." Gabriel hummed softly. Jack couldn't stifle a soft smile, sighing when he felt Gabriel fiddling with the hem of his shirt, fingers skating over his skin just slightly. The aftermath of his nightmares typically happened to be much worse. But wih Gabriel there, it was already distant and Jack could relax.

"You're sweet." Jack shifted to press another tiny kiss, to Gabriel's cheek this time. He was quick to get comfortable again though. At that point he wouldn't have given up his warm spot in Gabriel's arms for anything. He earned himself a faint indignant huff though, and tried to hide his smile against Gabriel's shirt. He had snared the cutest man on the planet and he would not be convinced otherwise.

"You need to sleep." Gabriel grumbled in return, Jack shrugged once more at that. He didn't particularly want to though, usually when he had nightmares, there were more to follow.

"At least lay down?" Gabriel sounded like he was at the end of his rope, tapping somewhat impatiently against Jack's side as the farmer considered. He really didn't want to move Lady, but Gabriel made a convincing argument just by existing.

"Fine." Jack gave in, he was really starting to loose feeling in his legs. Gabriel seemed content with Jack's answer, and pulled away to lay down. It allowed Jack to gently nudge Lady off of his lap before he shifted and laid down next to Gabriel.

He was a bit fussy, but he nudged Gabriel until the other man laid on his back. From there Jack tucked himself up against Gabriel's side, laying his head against his companion's chest with a content sound. Gabriel seemed fine with it, as he had his arms around Jack as soon as they had both gotten settled.

From there it didn't actually take Jack long to fall asleep. He dozed off where he was, arm wrapped over Gabriel's torso and completely content.

The nightmares didn't bother him again, and he woke slowly in the morning. Moving didn't seem like an option when he woke though. He was far too comfortable where he was. He'd shifted in the night so he had moved half on top of Gabriel, his face pressed to the other man's collar. Gabriel was still asleep when Jack woke though. And the farmer couldn't help but take a moment to admire the other man.

Gabriel looked so much softer when he slept. His features relaxed, any sort of scowl seemed to melt from his face and he just looked, peaceful. It always made Jack happy to see Gabriel relaxed, even if he was just sleeping.

Jack took a glance over at the alarm clock to see he didn't have to be up for another half hour. So he shifted to lay his head against Gabriel's chest again, shifting his grip on the ex-angel.

Lady had tucked herself against the small of his back, and it made Jack wonder how the hell she'd managed to curl up there without hanging off the edge of the bed, but he didn't feel like moving to check. Not only was she asleep, but Gabriel was too. Jack could just appreciate the stillness for a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ??? 
> 
> I don't know, it's sweet and a little angsty. We've heard about Gabe's angst, let's not leave Jack out. 
> 
> Per usual, comments, concerns and whatnot, feel free to toss something my way if you'd like!
> 
> (Also, would any of you be interested in a one or two chapter McCree/Hanzo spinoff of this? I was just curious because I've got a few good ideas for them and their little family)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay it's been forever and this chapter is really short, but honestly I've kind of been worrying about all of this stuff? I want to do some stuff with Jack's family, but I don't want to kill things by writing a family in for Jack. I finally just went with it though because a lot of what I had planned out was riding on this kind of thing so here. Don't kill me haha. 
> 
> And sorry for being gone so long!

"So my parents are having an aniversary party this weekend." 

Gabriel looked up from where he had been doing the dishes after dinner, quirking an eyebrow at Jack. 

"A what?" He paused to lean on the counter and turn a bit more towards Jack. The farmer set down the pen he had in hand, unsure if Gabriel didn't get the concept of a party or an aneversary, or what. It was always a roulette when it came to Gabe. Jack could never be sure what had been programmed into the mind of an archangel. There were completely mundane things that Gabriel didn't get, and other twisted concepts that he seemed to understand perfectly. 

Astrophysics, for example. 

"An aniversary party, y'know, to celebrate when they got married." Jack explained, folding his arms as he sat back in his chair. He had been thinking about it a lot for the past week or so when he'd gotten the call from his mother. All of the kids were going, of course, so that included him. But he just wasn't sure if he should bring Gabriel. For multiple reasons. One being that he'd never brought anyone home. He wasn't like his siblings who'd all brought home different significant others. The other reason happened to be that... well. Gabriel was a guy. Nobody in his family was anything but straight, and since they'd never talked about it. Jack wasn't sure what to expect. 

Then there was the obvious fact that Gabriel was a fallen angel, but that was the least of Jack's concerns. 

"Okay, and you're bringing this up why?" Gabriel didn't sound annoyed, just a little exasperated that Jack seemed to be dancing around the subject a little. Jack blamed it on the fact that from what he'd heard, angels were very direct, and didn't waste time. 

"I was just wondering how you would feel about going." Jack shrugged, trying to be as relaxed as possible, even if he was nervous just asking. Actually bringing Gabriel to see his family, well, that idea made him feel a bit nauseous actually. He knew at least one of his siblings wouldn't react favorably in the slightest. 

"Why couldn't you have just asked that?" Gabriel snorted faintly, going back to washing dishes. Jack rolled his eyes at Gabriel's back and moved to pick up his pen and get back to bills. 

"I don't know. I'm not sure about the idea myself." Jack admitted. It wasn't something he was excited about. Sure, a little bit, actually. He knew that his mother would love Gabriel, and his father would probably get along with the fallen angel as well. His siblings? Jack could never be sure with them, but he just worried that the whole relationship thing would ruin all of it. He'd had issues accepting it himself for god's sake! It had just been a bit weird for him at first. Not tha he regretted a second of it. 

He had dropped his attention to the paperwork and torn open envelopes in front of him when he felt a strong arm hook over his shoulders, it nearly made him jump as he sat up a bit to look at Gabriel. 

"You can't be that worried, they're your family aren't they?" Gabriel wound both arms around Jack, quirking an eyebrow at him. Jack shrugged, leaning into Gabriel and resting his head against his companions collar. 

"I'm just not sure. All of my siblings, and obviously my parents, are country kids. We've all lived out here for our whole lives and it's not the best environment for thinking progressively and all." Jack pointed out sullenly. 

"So you're afraid of how they'll react to us being together." Gabriel supplied helpfully. That earned him a nod as Jack let out a low sigh. Jack could never be sure. Even Jesse and his husband got crap a lot. 

"If you don't want me to go it's fine Jack, I don't want to fuck things up." Gabriel tapped Jack's shoulder lightly as Jack leaned into him. It was a hard choice for the farmer. On one hand he didn't want to upset his family. On the other hand, Gabriel was a massive part of his life at that point and they didn't even know he existed! That wasn't fair to them or Gabriel. 

"I'd like you to be there, if you want to go. If only because I don't want to be trapped alone with my family for ten hours." Jack attempted some humor as he turned his head to press a kiss to the bolt of Gabriel's jaw. The weak joke got him a faint chuckle though. And he was released. 

"Sure, if you want to bring me, I'll go. I should meet them eventually shouldn't I?" 

~~~

Jack decided that the best way to go about things would be warning his mother beforehand. If she reacted badly... At least she'd have time to process before Jack went to the party. Assuming he did. He was just worried that his family would have issues with him or Gabriel or the fact that they were together. 

Thankfully Gabriel was right there when he called his mother, which definitely helped steel Jack's resolve. He was no withering flower, but something about the idea of his family turning on him made Jack uneasy. It would make anyone uneasy wouldn't it?

Listening to the phone dial was stressful enough, and Jack found himself leaning more into Gabriel's side as they watched Lady romp around in the grass after a moth. It didn't take more than a couple rings before his mother picked up the phone though. 

"Jack! Hi darling, what's up?" His mother's cheery voice came over the line, but it didn't serve to put Jack at ease as he usually did. He glanced up at Gabriel for a moment as he tried to figure out what he even wanted to say. 

"Hey Mom, I just had a couple, uh... Questions. Before Saturday." Jack winced a bit at how badly he had worded his own comment, but his mother didn't seem perturbed by the terrible phrasing, or the fact that Jack probably sounded awkward as all hell. 

"Ask away then, your father and I just finished dinner so I've got plenty of time." Well that was at least a little reasuring. What was more reassuring was the slight squeeze he got from his partner as Gabriel dropped his arm to loop around Jack's waist instead of his shoulders. 

"Great, it's just... I was wanted to know how you and Dad would feel if I brought someone with me." Jack glanced over at Gabriel again, meeting the ex-angel's eyes and offering him a forced smile as he listened to the silence on the other end of the phone. 

"Really? Jack you know you don't have to ask to bring someone home with you, your father and I would love to meet her!" Jack wrinkled his nose a bit at the comment. 

"Yeah that's where the second question comes into play." He muttered, rubbing his knuckled over his jaw and drawing a deep breath as he tried to figure out how to say what he had to. He couldn't just not tell them he was dating a man, so he had to say it then. And saying it over the phone was probably easier than just introducing them to Gabriel with no warning. 

"Uhm, they're not, a woman actually ..." Jack still didn't like how he'd said it, but there was no way to take it back. And the silence that followed was much wose than the quiet exitement from before. 

"So you'd be bringing a man home?" 

"Yes."

Jack cringed back slightly, turning more towards Gabriel as he waited for the response. The other man was watching him quietly, concern dancing over his features as Jack waited. He wondered if she had just stopped to process, and kind of hoped that was the case, and not that she was loosing all faith in her son at that very moment. 

"And? Jackie, you've never brought anyone home, your father and I were starting to think you'd be a hermit forever. By all means, bring him!" Jack blinked in surprise at her apparent enthusiasm as he tried to figure out what to say.

"Really?" He asked, a little baffled by the fact that she hadn't been disgusted. 

"Yes really! I've always wondered if you were gay, you didn't even take anyone to your senior prom honey, you went with your friends. A mother has her suspicions." She sounded happy but just a tiny bit like she was rolling her eyes at him. And Jack had no doubt that she was doing just that, even if the comment made him flush slightly. 

"Richard! Jack's finally bringing someone home!" Jack let out a faint laugh, laying his head against Gabriel's shoulder as he heard his mother calling for his father. Who was undoubtably in the next room reading. 

"Yes really, and I was right!"

"What was his name again Jack?" His mother addressed him again, and Jack stifled a faint laugh as he tapped his fingers on Gabriel's knee. 

"His name's Gabriel mom. I'm sure you'll love him by the way." Jack glanced up at the other man with a smile, one that Gabriel returned before Jack felt a kiss pressed to his hair. 

"Yeah, his name's Gabriel!" His mom called out again, and Jack rolled his eyes even through his smile. His parents had always been guilty of having conversations several rooms away from each other. 

"Your father says he'd love to meet this Gabriel. And I would too, you can't back out on us now then." His mother turned her full attention back to her son once more and Jack smiled again. 

"Of course, anything else I should bring? Wine or anything?" Typically the whole family would bring things if it was a big gathering, but it was just going to be a little gathering. Which was good, if his aunts and uncles had been invited, Jack never would have entertained the idea of bringing Gabriel along. He hated big family affairs anyways. 

"If you could bring wine that would be wonderful!" Jack could hear the smile in his mother's voice, and that only served to put him more at ease. 

"Of course. I'll see what I can do Ma, I should go for now though, Gabe and I are winding down for the day so he might want my attention again at some point here." Jack chuckled faintly, happy to know that his parents, at least, would have no problem with the man he'd fallen so hard for. Which was a damn good thing, because otherwise he wasn't sure what he would have done. Well, he would have gone to the party, but... He wouldn't have known what to do about other things like Christmas or his birthday. 

"I won't steal you away for too long then, love you!" 

"Love you too Mom, see you Saturday." Jack hummed, letting her get in one final goodbye before he hung up the phone and sunk completely into his companion's grip. 

"Well my parents probably had a bet on how long it would take me to come out or something." Jack snorted, letting his eyes fall shut as he relaxed, a faint smile gracing his features. 

"Hey, could have been worse." Gabriel pointed out, tapping Jack's side idly. Jack nodded in agreement, letting the quiet of the evening stretch out as he listened to Lady flop down in the grass with a huff. He hadn't been expecting his parents to accept it at all, let alone so easily. His mom had a point though, it was weird that he'd never brought anyone home. It wasn't like he'd never had anyone. It was just that usually things didn't last long. And in such a small area it wasn't easy to meet new people. 

They sat in silence until dusk fell and bugs started their usual attempts to eat the humans alive. At which point the indoors became a much better option. Jack was honestly just sure nothing could ruin his good mood at that point. Not even mosquitos he definitely thought had crawled straight out of hell to attack them. He waved Lady in after them, and let Gabriel drag him off upstairs. 

He raised an eyebrow at Gabriel when the door was closed and he was pulled right into his companion's arms though. 

"Clingy aren't we?" Jack chuckled, looping his arms around Gabriel's waist. He wasn't protesting. Gabriel hadn't exactly gotten the most physical attention from his own 'family' so Jack was happy to compensate. 

"Relieved." Gabriel corrected with a slight smirk, folding his arms around Jack's shoulders properly. Jack snorted, shifting to rest his cheek against Gabriel's shoulder. 

"Relieved about what?" He had to ask, fingertips running over the back of Gabriel's shirt as he let himself relax. He couldn't have gotten luckier could he? Jack had a house, a plethora of animals, a stable place in life, and someone he cared deeply about. He was lucky as hell. 

"That your family isn't made up of terrible people." Gabriel responded as if that was the obvious answer, and Jack snorted at the other man. 

"You were the worried one?" Jack grumbed, lifting his head to meet Gabriel's eyes. Gabriel shrugged, flashing a wicked grin before he ducked down to kiss Jack. The farmer didn't put up any kind of protest. Though he huffed faintly in amusement at Gabriel changing the subject in such a way. He wasn't exactly complaining though, and didn't have plans to complain. Gabriel could be as affectionate as he wanted to be. 

"So-" Jack huffed when he finally pulled back from the kiss. 

"We've got to bring wine to the party, which means we have to go shopping at some point." He leaned up to feather absentminded kisses over Gabriel's cheeks as he thought, they didn't have much for fancy wine on hand, but they could probably order some or just go shopping for some. He didn't doubt they could find something. 

"You know more about that shit than I do." Gabriel snorted, smiling faintly under the affection before Jack withdrew. 

"I'm aware, let me think out loud would you?" 

"You're tired, you should sleep." Gabriel was obviously still teasing, but it didn't stop Jack from scoffing at his companion before stealing another kiss. He couldn't believe he and Gabriel had managed to keep their hands off of each other so long. Then again, there had also been a lot of mutual fear involved, so Jack kind of got it. Eh, kind of. 

"I should, but you have to let me sleep." Jack teased, grinning and ducking in to catch a kiss just at the corner of Gabriel's mouth. That earned him a lopsided grin before he was pulled into a proper kiss. 

"You're gonna have to carry me to bed if you want me to sleep. I'm tempted to sleep right here." Jack hummed, dropping his head to rest against Gabe's collar again and pressing his nose to his companion's throat. Gabriel was undoubtably rolling his eyes. But Jack wasn't actually expecting to be picked up, and yelped as he was actually picked up. He ended up bumping his head against Gabriel's chin as Gabriel picked him up. Though that was worse than actually being picked up and he winced apologetically as he rubbed the top of his head. 

Gabriel dumped him on the bed with little grace, and Jack nearly fell on top of Lady, trying to stifle a faint laugh. 

"Gabriel you're terrible, you're going to kill Lady here." Jack protested, already reaching out to grab Gabriel's shirt and tug him down into bed. 

"You have a point. You're heavy as shit, I don't think she'd survive if I dropped you on her." Gabriel wrinkled his nose at Jack as he was tugged down. Jack grumbled at him as he wormed up close to Gabriel, not really saying much more. He was actually pretty tired even if the day had been uneventful. Looking over the stress over his parents, of course. 

Well, he'd be bringing Gabriel to his parent's aniversary. And he couldn't be totally sure how it would go over, but since his parents seemed fine with it, he hoped it would go well. His siblings and parents shared a lot of the same beliefs after all. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a little rushed but hey, I'm not dead so here ya go
> 
> As usual, feedback is welcome and encouraged! Feel free to drop a comment or something on your way out 
> 
> (and a McHanzo spinoff is going to be in development soon!)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have another chapter because????? I don't know
> 
> I stayed up too late writing this and I feel as if Jack was a little OOC, but hey here's this thing and a lot of family business I guess.
> 
> (Also head's up, there's a slur tossed in there because Jack's brother is terrible. Just a warning.)

For once, the growl of Jesse's truck pulling into his driveway was a sound that made Jack stiffen up as he set his empty coffee mug in the sink. Lady clattered to the door, excited to see Jesse, and Gabriel gave the farmer a look from where he was still sitting at the counter. 

Jack knew that there was no avoiding the party, but he was nervous. His parents seemed fine with the fact that he was with Gabriel, his siblings though? Jack could never be sure. And as much as he hated it, he was still the youngest, and had never really stopped wanting the approval of his siblings. He had just grown out of actively seeking it. 

He had to go talk to Jesse though, and left Gabriel to get everything together and double check as he stepped outside and offered the other man a wave. Jesse had actually brought his whole family along, and one of the kids was already stuck to his leg as Jesse's husband retrieved their other kids from the car. 

"Thanks again for keeping track of things for the day Jesse." Jack was glad that the other man was alright with taking over until Jack got back from his parents place. He wouldn't have had time to be there on time and still make sure all the animals were taken care of. 

"Ah, no worries boss, y'know I don't have anything better to do." Jesse shrugged, offering Jack an easy smile as Hanzo wandered over with one kid on his hip, the other clinging to his hand and watching Jack with big eyes. 

"Still though, I owe you two a lot. I can't miss this anniversary crap, or I'm sure my mother will ave my head at this point." Jack pointed out, watching Hanzo fall in next to his husband and offer a slight shrug. He was always just a little startled by the other man, Hanzo didn't look like he was the kindest or most relaxed person in the world, and the tattoos were pretty shocking. But Jack had seen him a handful of times, and he was married to Jesse so he couldn't have been as aggressive as he looked. That and he was willing to spend the day on the farm with Jesse and the kids. 

"Really, don't worry about it old man, good lord." Jesse laughed a bit. "I'm sure we'll find some way to amuse ourselves all day." The other man glanced at Hanzo and raised an eyebrow. As if asking if that was plausible. He got a shrug in response before Jack heard the screen door opening and saw Gabriel trotting out, bag full of bottles of wine in hand. 

"Well, it's all yours for the day, feel free to step inside if you want to get out of the heat. And if you want to hook the team up and take these three out for a ride, go ahead." Jack figured that would be a good way for the family to spend some time, he'd heard about how much Jesse's daughter loved the massive horses that Jack brought to community events like the fair or any sort of harvest festival. 

"Sounds good to me boss, now get along before you're late. That's enough stalling." Jesse waved Jack off with a faint smile. He had a good point, and the farmer could only huff a bit before giving the family a wave and wandering over to where Gabriel was waiting by the truck. 

"That's Jesse's husband I take it?" Gabriel asked as they climbed into the truck. Jack nodded, starting it up and glancing over at where the group was wandering towards the barn with Lady trailing after them. 

"I don't even know how long they've been together, but they really have their shit together apparently." Jack scoffed faintly. "I heard about the beginning of their relationship and it was pretty hectic, but hey, they worked it out." He shrugged as he turned the vehicle towards the end of the driveway. Gabriel hummed a bit in thought but said nothing more, so Jack just settled into the silence as he started towards his parents place. It was going to be an... interesting day. 

The car ride was quiet, punctuated only by Gabriel's dry remarks on how confining vehicles seemed to be. Or the odd question from Gabriel about Jack's family. The more Jack thought about the whole thing, the more nerve-wracking it became. He kept telling himself that one, he'd faced much worse things than his own family's dissaproval, and two, his parents already seemed fine with everything. So there was that at least. 

It wasn't too long before they pulled up in front of the large house. It didn't have a barn or anything like Jack's did, but it was well kept, and looked homey. He found somewhere to park under a large tree that overshadowed the driveway, but before he could get out of the truck, Gabriel caught him by the wrist. 

"Relax, you're all tense, if it's bad enough that I can see it? You need to chill out." Gabriel's tone was almost stern as Jack caught his eyes. But he knew his companion was trying to get him to stop stressing out so much. It helped a bit though and Jack nodded before he slipped free of Gabriel's grip to get out of the car. 

They weren't halfway across the driveway before a stout woman with graying hair tied back in a braid and the same bright blue eyes as Jack, practically tossed the front door open and trotted down the steps to meet them. 

"Jackie! Early as usual!" There was a laugh in her voice as she bustled across the grass to hug her son. Jack couldn't help but laugh slightly, as she was always so excited to see her kids, even if they all lived within an hour of her house. 

"Hi Mom, it's good to see you too." Jack gave a low chuckle, wrapping his arms around his mother in return before he glanced over his shoulder at the sound of Gabriel's shoes on the grass. 

"And this must be Gabriel! I'm so glad to meet you! I'm Jack's mom, but call me Caroline or Mom or I don't want to hear it." Jack watched surprise flicker over his companion's face as his mothers attention was turned to Gabriel. He had to stifle a faint laugh at how bewildered the fallen angel looked upon getting a very enthusiastic handshake. He was sure that the next time his mother saw Gabriel that would probably be a hug, but she seemed like she didn't want to overwhelm him. Even though one look from Gabriel told Jack that she was doing just that. 

"Well come on you two, Dad's out back getting the grill started, Laura and Sam should be here soon, but I can never be sure about Andrew." She shook her head, obviously annoyed with her eldest son's trend of being late. It was always the case. 

"He'll show up eventually. If only because we're providing the alcohol." Jack snorted, waiting for Gabriel to step up beside him before he followed his mother up the steps and into the house. 

The place looked like it had just fallen out of some country living magazine, but Jack was used to it at that point. Gabriel was gestured to stick the wine in the fridge as Caroline pulled a picture from a shelf in the entryway to show Jack. It was typically the deal when he went to see his parents, he heard a lot about their grandkids, and whatever they had been doing around the house for home improvements. He listened to the story about his elder sister's kids, before the back door clattered open and he looked up to see what had brought him inside from the grill. 

His father was obviously where he'd gotten his height, as the man had a similar stature to him. A bit softer around the edges, with much less hair, but the same nose and smile as his son. 

"So you're Gabriel then huh?" Jack silently hoped that Gabriel wasn't going to get the treatment that every boyfriend his sisters had brought home had gotten. But that hope was probably in vain, as he knew the look his father was giving Gabriel by heart. He wandered over as his mother went to go put the picture back where it had been. 

"I am, you must be Jack's father." Gabriel stretched out a hand in an attempt to be friendly, and Jack shot his father a look as the older man looked between Gabriel's face and the outstretched hand a good second before taking it. Jack knew that his father seemed to be fine with him dating a man, at least that seemed to be the deal from what Jack had gleaned. But he knew the routine well. Both of his sisters husbands had gotten the same treatment until his father deemed them worthy of his daughters affection. 

Jack didn't think anyone he ever brought home would get the same treatment, but lord how times changed. 

"That I am. So, how long have you two been together then?" 

"Richard, leave them be, they've only just gotten here!" Caroline interjected, swatting her husband's arm and shooting him a look. 

"I was just asking a question." He shot Caroline a look right back and Jack glanced over at Gabriel. The ex-angel seemed like the whole deal was a little much, and Jack reached out without thinking to thread his fingers through Gabriel's. 

"Well, let's head outside while we wait for the others." Jack's mom waved them to follow as she and Jack's father trotted towards the back door. 

It was a good half hour before anyone else showed up. And that half hour was actually pretty nice. Gabriel seemed to warm to the situation, even if Jack's dad was still giving him a bit of the 'hostile father' attitude. Jack would have to remind his companion that Gabriel hadn't earned the halfhearted glares he got, it was just his father being protective. As it was, sharing the bench of a picnic table, drinking lemonade, and chatting with his parents was quite nice. 

However, their quiet, laid back atmosphere was broken by the sound of a car pulling up, and his mother ran off to go see who it was. 

Jack took the moment to lean against Gabriel a bit more, giving him a slight nudge of reassurance. Gabriel looked over at Jack with a slightly forced smile. It was obvious he was nervous, but Jack was too. They could be nervous together. He ended up moving away just a tiny bit so he and Gabriel weren't glued to each other, but didn't move away more than a couple inches. Gabriel didn't seem to mind, instead he turned his gaze on the back door opening again, which was followed by a small girl, Jack's mother, and a tall brown haired woman with a bowl in her hands. 

"Grandpa!" The child immediately ran over to Jack's father, and he couldn't help but smile faintly at his niece. 

"Where's your boyfriend and Nathan?" Jack chimed, raising an eyebrow at his eldest sibling. She rolled her eyes at him, scoffing. 

"Nate's sick, and my husband, Charles decided to stay home with him, but he sends his congratulations and whatnot." She huffed out, setting the bowl in the middle of the picnic table before she straightened and looked between Gabriel and Jack. 

"And this is?" Jack immediately recognized the smirk that played at his older sister's mouth as she raised an eyebrow at him. 

"This is Gabriel, my partner." There was one way to phrase it. He watched the look of shock cross her face as she glanced over at Gabriel. Jack could practically feel Gabriel bristle beside him, before she extended a hand over the table with the same kind of smile Jack could break out every now and then.

"Well, nice to meet you, I'm Laura." Gabriel shook her hand and offered up a slight smile of his own. 

"Nice to meet you too."

Jack was glad he'd given Gabriel a few pointers beforehand about how to act in a social situation. Along with working out 'how they met' and 'how they got together' because there was no way the story of: 'yeah an archangel crash landed in my backyard and I fell for him' would fly. Jack was sure he'd be shipped off to an asylum. 

"I gotta ask though, how did you two meet?" Laura asked as she took a place opposite of Jack so her daughter could crawl in between her and their father. Jack snorted faintly at the question, keeping an eye on his niece in case she went toppling over backwards. 

"We met while I was overseas, he ended up needing a place to stay a while back while he was in the area and." Jack shrugged. "We've been living together since." He knew he'd probably have to tell the lie again at least once that day. But a weight had been lifted upon seeing that at least one of his sisters was fine with the whole deal. 

"That's nice, it sounds like what you said happened with your two friends. The ones that got married a few years ago?" Laura had to give part of her attention to her daughter for a moment before sending her off to get a lemonade from her grandmother. 

"Ana and Reinhardt, yeah. Their anniversary is coming up too actually." Jack hadn't really drawn that similarity before his sister had noticed it, but at least the story was still realistic. 

"Yeah those two, oh, are they coming to the bonfire this year?" She asked, folding her hands on the picnic table. 

"Probably, they always do. And we're probably going to have more kids than yours running around this year, a friend of mine and his husband are probably going to be along as well and they've got three." Jack hummed, settling into his place as Gabriel raised an eyebrow at him. 

"Bonfire?" Oh right, he hadn't told Gabriel about that tradition yet. 

"It's a thing I do every year after I get the harvest in." Jack explained, shifting to bump his shoulder against Gabriel's. 

"Everyone brings whatever brush they've been collecting over the year and we have a big ass bonfire out in the field behind the house. Kind of an end of season thing." He explained, watching Gabriel's reaction, before the other man nodded quietly. Jack knew it probably sounded like a weird tradition, but it was something they'd been doing since he got his own house. 

It was a while before anyone else showed up. And when they did, Jack was already at ease, and didn't pay it much mind. Gabriel had been getting on well with his sister, and they'd been lost in a conversation about some book series Laura had given Jack and Jack had never read. Apparently Gabriel found them intensely interesting and the two were neck deep in their own world. Jack had ended up dividing his attention between his parents and niece, but it was broken by his mother appearing with his other sister and her husband in tow. 

She looked a lot more like Jack did, with the blond hair and blue eyes that were almost as vibrant. They had more brown in them. Her husband was pretty plain, brown hair, kind of awkward. Jack didn't know him very well, but he was happy to see his sister.

Until her gaze landed on Jack and Gabriel. Jack hadn't bothered to move away from Gabriel that time around, so they were still pressed together from knee to hip, and brushing elbows on the table. 

"Who are you?" Her eyes were clearly on Gabriel. And his gaze snapped up from Laura to the shorter woman standing in the doorway. Laura looked over her shoulder quietly, frowning at her little sister disapprovingly. 

"Gabriel, I'm with Jack." Gabriel had stiffened beside Jack, and he couldn't help but reach out to rest a hand on Gabriel's elbow, reminding him to relax. Jack was sure that Gabriel would have gladly taken down anyone who questioned them. But that wasn't a very good way to deal with things. As much as Jack had tousled with his siblings when they were kids. 

"I see that." She muttered, wrinkling her nose as she finally stepped down the steps, shooting Jack a look that he returned as he moved to pull Gabriel's hand down beneath the table so he could lace their fingers together. 

"Samantha, be nice please." Jack's mom stepped in, and he relaxed a bit, watching the two from the corner of his eye as Sam's husband wandered off to go speak with Jack's father. Jack could respect his way of avoiding conflict. They were probably going to talk about Sunday football or something like that. 

Jack dropped his gaze back to the table as he felt Gabriel squeeze his hand slightly. Laura let out a displeased huff, probably at her little sister's behavior, before she made an attempt to rekindle the conversation with Gabriel. Jack could only shoot her an appreciative look as the day wore on quietly. Sam kept her distance, and didn't even offer her brother a proper greeting. It made Jack a tiny bit sick to the stomach but he was surviving and Laura and Gabriel seemed to click well so there was that. 

When his older brother arrived, Andrew gave the pair one look before not even recognizing their presence. He didn't bother to introduce himself, or even ask who Gabriel was. Laura and their parents weren't happy with him either. And Jack was unafraid to shoot his brother a glare when he caught Andrew staring at them. Gabriel seemed annoyed as well, but he hadn't done anything to warrant anyone being mad at him, so Jack was glad for that at least. 

It was when the other picnic table was pulled over so they could all eat as a family that things got more awkward. Laura moved over to sit beside Jack so he didn't have to deal with Andrew or Sam. For which he could only offer her another thankful smile. He and Laura had always gotten along best out of all the siblings. Youngest and oldest after all. 

They were just getting down to eating when Sam spoke up. 

"So is nobody else going to address the big ass elephant in the room?" She asked tartly, eyes falling on Jack and Gabriel as Gabriel handed the bottle of wine to Jack's father. He arched an eyebrow at Sam before responding to her question. 

"It depends, what do you consider it to be." He was calm and collected, but Jack could hear the venom lying under Gabriel's words, it made him wonder how much pushing it would take from Sam and Andrew to get Gabriel to snap. 

"I think she's talkin' about you two." Andrew piped up in a near growl from the other side of Sam's husband. The hostility in his gaze was not lost on anyone. 

"Can you two stop? We're trying to have a family gathering here, Gabriel has just as much of a right to be here as you two do." Jack's dad snapped, glaring over at the pair causing discord. 

"Sorry, I just didn't realize my little brother was a faggot." The comment from Andrew nearly made Jack choke, and Laura looked like she was about to throw something at her little brother before Jack put a hand on her shoulder to press her back into her seat. 

"Andrew Morrison you watch your mouth!" Jack's mother was the next one to step in, a horrified glare directed at the man still sulking at the end of the table. Laura still looked ready to kill, but Jack turned his attention briefly to Gabriel, before looking back to his brother. 

"Maybe you should keep your mouth shut Andrew, you seem to forget it's Mom and Dad's anniversary." Jack responded calmly, narrowing his eyes at his brother. 

"Maybe you should keep this out of family business. You couldn't think about your niece and shit?" Andrew snapped, stiffening up in his place. 

"You've brought home women that make Gabriel look like a saint Andrew, did you ever think about your nieces when you brought the heroin addict to Thanksgiving?" He hissed, not responding to Gabriel's hand on his knee as his brother started to get red in the face. 

"That's different than this shit Jack, this isn't okay, you're exposing Natalie to all of this!" Sam stepped in, only for Laura to push herself to her feet. 

"Since when did you two decide what my kids are exposed to? And there is nothing wrong with these two, leave them be!" Laura snapped, hands braced on the table as she glared at both of them. 

Jack couldn't believe that Andrew and Sam were so repulsed that they couldn't handle a couple hours without saying anything for the sake of their parents anniversary. Really? They didn't even have that much courtesy? It was insane and actually kind of upsetting. They hated it that much. He really had probably just lost two of his siblings. God. That was actually a lot to think about. Jack kind of zoned out as Laura and Andrew started really going at it. They had a history of bumping heads but something about the way they were snapping at each other put Jack on edge. He ended up huffing as he got to his feet, stepping over the bench and tapping Gabriel's shoulder to say he'd be right back, before he ducked off to take a breather. 

He wasn't one to run from a fight, but he had been hoping that he wouldn't cause the day to be ruined by bringing Gabriel along. Unfortunately enough, that had been exactly the case. And his parent's anniversary party was going to be full of their kids fighting. Fantastic. He'd screwed it up for everyone. Of course he had. 

The truck seemed to be the best refuge. It was on the other side of the house so he couldn't hear the fighting and nobody seemed to have followed him. He took a second to breathe, just running his hands over his face and getting his bearings. He needed to accept that two of his siblings didn't accept him, first and foremost. Aside from that he needed to figure out how he and Gabriel were going to survive the rest of the party without causing more disarray. 

Hearing the screen door open, Jack lifted his head, expecting Gabriel, only to see his father stepping out on to the porch. Had he decided he'd had enough of the fighting as well?

"You know, Gabriel has really grown on your mother." He said so Jack could hear as he crossed the lawn to come over to Jack. 

"It seems so." Jack forced a faint smile as he folded his arms over his chest. 

"You had enough of their crap too?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Either that or his dad had just come to see why he'd run off, but he was sure his father didn't want to hear the fighting, a nod confirmed that. 

"Nothing like hearing your kids bicker like they're five." He shook his head. "Sorry about that kid. Sam and Andrew won't listen to reason. And it looks like Andrew's probably going to make himself scarce here in a minute. Gabriel scares the hell out of him." The older man chuckled as he hooked his thumb into his belt. 

"He does that, and I'm sure Laura scares him as well." Jack pointed out. Laura had only ever physically gotten into fights with Andrew. Sure she and Jack had tousled around when they were kids, but that was nothing compared to two teenagers actually trying to kick the crap out of each other. There had been a couple incidents. 

"I'm sure." Jack's dad shook his head, looking back over at the house. 

"Gabriel is great though, he's not what I was expecting, I guess." Jack shrugged under his dad's eyes as he leaned back against his truck with a sigh. 

"He's full of surprises." Jack offered with a faint snort. "I mean, he read that series I never got around to. He seems to have fallen in love with Ruby as much as my farmhand. I seriously found him in the barn just sitting in her stall with her once." He smiled faintly at the memory of that evening. 

"We've got things to work on, but I think that whatever I've got with him is actually going to last." Jack sighed out. He really did think that. He and Gabriel got on too well for them not to work out. Not only that but Jack wasn't sure where else Gabriel could go. 

"That's good, you two seem to be a good match." Jack jumped when his father clapped him on the shoulder, glad for the support from his old man. 

"Now, you ready to duck back into the bullpen or are we taking another second?" Jack looked over at his father before heaving a reluctant sigh. 

"Let's just go, I can't leave Gabe in there all on his own. He's gonna either let them walk all over him or they're going to be out of here faster than you can blink." Jack snorted. He wasn't sure if Gabriel would just keep his mouth shut for the sake of not killing them. or if he'd actually just kill them. But he didn't like either option so he was going to toss himself back into the fray. 

After dinner, Andrew, Sam, and Sam's husband did clear out. After giving their congratulations to their parents. But that was it, and everyone else seemed to be glad to be free of the hostile environment. 

The rest of the evening went well, they had a little fire, traded stories, and Gabriel dozed off on Jack's shoulder. Much to the delight of his mother and Laura. 

Jack was just glad that he'd gotten three out of five family members. And he was definitely bringing Gabriel to other family gatherings as well. They could handle his brother and sister. Eventually though, they had to head home for the sake of Jesse and his kids. It was nice though, both Jack and Gabriel got a hug from Jack's mom and Laura, as she had to bring Natalie home early so the kid could rest. 

Overall, fighting aside, Jack would have considered it a successful affair. And he found himself relaxing on the way back, listening to the hum of the engine as Gabriel dozed in the passengers seat of the truck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been so distracted lately y'all. I'll get around to responding to comments soon, I promise. Life has just been hectic recently. 
> 
> Either way, feel free to drop a comment or something on your way out guys!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeeeez sorry I've been gone so long and I haven't been responding to comments. I promise there's more in the works really! The next chapter is on it's way as soon as I've got my stuff in order. But for the moment here's a fluffy filler chapter for you guys! I hope you enjoy!

If Jack had known that Gabriel was going to practically tackle him the moment the door was closed behind them, he probably would have braced himself better. As it was he ended up dropping his keys on the floor in favor of steadying himself by grabbing the front of Gabriel's shirt. 

The other man kissed him hard, and Jack was still recovering from nearly falling over, but ended up responding with just as much enthusiasm. He'd have to ask why Gabriel was so eager about the whole thing, but it probably had something to do with the fact that they'd barely touched each other all day. Usually they spent much more time together over the course of a day, physically at least. 

Gabriel pulled back first, and Jack took the moment to shift, wrapping his arms around Gabriel's neck and leaning into his chest. He couldn't help but let out a content hum, tucking his head against Gabriel's neck and giving himself a moment to relax. The day had been rough on both of them, and it was just good to take a moment and quietly hold onto each other. Even if Jack had questions about why the hell Gabriel seemed to be very close to pinning him to a wall. 

"So what was that for?" Jack broke the silence eventually, pulling back to look at Gabriel as he made a face. Presumaby at the question. 

"Seems like you kind of needed it." Gabriel shrugged. "Besides, that fiasco must have been worse for you than it was for me, by a lot." He made a good point, but Jack rolled his eyes a bit. He was fine, he was going to continue to be fine. Yeah, it hurt to know his siblings didn't accept him, but he still had his parents and Laura, as well as the rest of Laura's family. So he could consider it a victory in his book. 

"I'm alright Gabe, really." Jack hummed, moving to brush a hand through Gabriel's hair. He seemed to lean into Jack's hand a bit, though he didn't look convinced. 

"They're your family Jack, they shouldn't treat you like that." Gabriel muttered, squeezing Jack slightly closer. The farmer couldn't help but scoff and roll his eyes, his hand dropped from Gabriel's hair to his cheek, forcing the other man to look at him. 

"Gabe you know full well how awful family can be. Not to mention that I probably didn't help the situatuon by surprising them. I'm their little brother, they think they know everything about me because they watched me grow up but..." He trailed off and shrugged again, lifting both hands to brace his elbows on Gabe's shoulders and frame his partner's face with his hands. 

"You being there was a huge help though." He insisted. That finally had Gabe softening just a bit and he heaved a low sigh. Well that was a win at least. Jack didn't want Gabriel to go track his brother and sister down and interrogate them or something. Jack didn't like how they'd handled the situation, sure, but he didn't want them dead. 

"Well I'm glad for that at least." Gabriel huffed. Jack was pulled back to Gabriel's chest, and didn't fight whatsoever. He dropped his arms to rest around Gabriel's waist. Though he absentmindedly ran one hand over Gabriel's side. 

He paused what he was doing when Gabriel twitched away from his hand, looking up to raise an eyebrow at his companion. Gabriel didn't seem hurt, or uncomfortable. 

"Something wrong?" Jack quirked an eyebrow, watching an embarrassed flush tint Gabriel's cheeks. What was Gabriel so touchy about? He kind of worried he'd done something wrong. 

"Nothing, just tickles." Gabriel grumbled. It took Jack a moment before a smirk crossed his face. Gabriel was ticklish? That was something he hadn't expected in the slightest. Gabriel had been an archangel, a warrior of heaven, some creature that could have leveled half of america had he ever had the desire to when he was at full power. An archangel that had helped battle the devil himself. 

And he was ticklish. 

"You mean when I do this?" Jack hid his grin in Gabriel's shoulder as he moved to run his hand over that spot again. Gabriel jerked a bit and nodded, trying to shake his hand off. Jack was persistent though, and after another moment Gabriel was met with Jack tickling him fiercely. 

Gabriel nearly bent double, a strangled laugh ripped out of him as he hunched against Jack, squirming under his hands. Lady, who'd been napping in her bed by the door, lifted her head to examine the situation as Jack grinned like an idiot and Gabriel shook with laughter. 

"Jack! Hey!" Gabriel was protesting but making no real move to push Jack off except bracing his hands against Jack's shoulders and trying to worm out from under Jack's hands. Jack had endured similar torture at the hands of his siblings, which was usually perpetuated by Laura, and had never really understood the amusement in it until that moment with Gabriel quivering against him and practically tearing up because he was laughing so hard. 

Gabriel finally wriggled out of Jack's grip, wrapping his arms around him defensively and trying his hardest to give Jack an angry glare. Said glare was interrupted with a bright grin though, and god Jack felt like he was falling in love with Gabriel over and over again every time Gabriel smiled at him. 

"This is betrayal." Gabriel wheezed, lifting a hand to wipe his eyes. Jack wasn't done yet though, arching an eyebrow at Gabriel's statement as he advanced on the other man a step. 

"How so? Is it because I've found your weakness?" Jack teased, taking another step forward. It was when he moved to actually pull Gabriel back into his arms that Gabriel yelped and took of up the stairs laughing. The laughter was practically contagious and Jack ran after him without even thinking first. 

They ended up knocking each other into bed before Gabriel managed to get on top of Jack, straddling him and pinning the farmer's hands above his head. Well... Jack would never forget the fact that Gabriel was incredibly strong. But he was a bit worried about what Gabriel was doing, was the other man going to return the favor?

The answer to that was actually no, as surprised as Jack was. He was greeted with a warm kiss as Gabriel settled against him. Jack hummed a bit as his hands were released. Instead he let one of his hands fall to Gabriel's hip, the other ranging up his companion's back to pull Gabriel against himself properly. 

Jack could have stayed there for hours with Gabriel's arms around him just kissing the other man, but it'd been a long day. The farmer was just happy to have Gabriel close to him again. Even if the other man was quite heavy. Gabriel pulled back from the kiss with a low hum as Jack gave his hip a slight squeeze. 

"So you're ticklish huh?" Jack shot a bright smile Gabriel's way, it had the fallen angel sticking his tongue out at Jack briefly and wrinkling his nose. 

"Don't even try it again, I'll go sleep in the guest room." Gabriel threatened. Jack softened a bit, one hand moving up so he could pull Gabe back down, bumping their foreheads together. 

"I won't, don't worry about it." Jack murmured, watching Gabriel quietly. He was constantly reminded, in moments like that how gorgeous the other man was. The late afternoon sunlight swept through the curtains, casting dramatic shadows and painting warm golden light over Gabriel's features. Jack couldn't help but pull Gabriel back in enough to press another quick kiss to the other man's lips. Jack couldn't think of a better way to end his day. 

Gabriel seemed content to end things there, flopping down to the side and moving to tuck his head under Jack's chin. The farmer responded without missing a beat, shifting to wrap his arms around his companion in return as he listened to the clatter of Lady's claws on the stairs. The dog rounded the corner into the room a moment later, giving the two a look before she popped up onto the bed to lay across their legs with a content sound. 

Jack was obscenely comfortable with Gabriel curled against his side, humming absently and tracing his fingertips over Gabriel's shoulder. They should probably do more productive things before night fell, but... The horses were taken care of, and the bed was all too comfortable. Gabriel seemed happy to settle right there, messing with Jack's shirt and huffing a content sigh. 

How Jack had gotten so lucky, he'd never really understand. He just so happened to have bought the right home, and done the right thing when he found Gabriel. The farmer had never been so grateful for a series of events in his entire life. Gabriel's weight against him was worth the backlash from his siblings, hearing the soft sound of Gabriel's even breathing, and just the lazy air of content that settled over them. 

It was a little ovewhelming to think about actually. Jack hadn't even realized how much he cared about Gabriel until his siblings were questioning their relationship. Even the thought of loosing his companion hurt, and it had Jack squeezing Gabriel slightly closer. Gabriel adjusted accordingly, arms winding even tighter around Jack's ribcage. 

Jack looked down at Gabriel quietly, appreciating the sight of the other man laying on his chest and the lazy look in his eyes. Everything about Gabriel just seemed to fall so naturally, his curls, the way his body twisted to best press up against Jack. Jack didn't think he'd ever get over the fact that his partner was a walking piece of art. 

He loved Gabriel. It wasn't a startling realization, in the slightest. Even if it came while he moved to mess with Gabriel's hair thoughtfully. It wasn't really surprising that he did, they'd been living together for long enough that there were only really three options, either them hating each other, becoming best friends or... Falling in love. Jack liked the way their relationship had gone. 

"Hey Gabriel?" Jack finally broke the silence, fingers trailing down the curve of Gabriel's neck as the other man tilted his head up to look at him. 

"Yeah?" He still had that lazy air about him, curiosity tinting his features as Lady shifted off of their legs to curl up behind Gabriel. Jack watched the dog move for a moment before his attention was drawn back to the man in his arms. The one who'd told him about how the constelations were arranged, or who he'd found in the barn with Ruby in the middle of the night. He couldn't think of anyone better to have around. 

"You know I love you right?" Jack phrased it like a casual question. But, well, he did love Gabriel, and he hoped the other man knew that. Gabriel had been through some rough shit, Jack thought it was intensely important for the guy to know that he was in fact loved. 

His question had Gabriel blinking a bit in surprise and shifting against him. Jack didn't really have second thoughts about telling Gabriel he was loved. He just worried a bit about how his companion would react the longer the silence drew out. Gabriel moved so he was level with Jack again though, before laying a kiss on the corner of Jack's mouth. 

"Yeah, I do." Gabriel offered a faint smile, one hand brushing Jack's hair back from his face as the ex-angel ducked in for another kiss. 

"I love you too, even if you are a bit of an idiot." There was a teasing note to Gabriel's voice, although it was drowned out by the affectionate smile and the sheer look Jack was getting from him. 

"Well, that's good enough for me." Jack snorted a bit, pulling Gabriel back down into his arms as the other man laughed a bit at his reaction. 

"Glad you've got such low standards Jack." Gabriel huffed against the crook of Jack's neck, Jack could still feel Gabriel's smile against his skin and didn't respond except to kiss the top of the ex-angel's head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I know this one is short but next chapter is going to be worlds longer I promise!! Lots of plot going down so there's that. 
> 
> As always! If you feel like leaving a comment please do, I love feedback of any sort! 
> 
> Also! If you guys want to follow me on Tumblr for writer's updates (and if you want to send me stuff please do that'd be fantastic) the official Tumblr for this fic is up at: r76catchme.tumblr.com
> 
> Feel free to message me or ask me about anything involving this fic! I probably won't give away major plot stuff but I'd love to get in touch with you guys!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this didn't take as long as I thought it would in relation to the last chapter. This chapter has been in the works for a while though. Meaning when I say it didn't take as long as I thought it would, it's been a long time and a lot of research in the making! So here it is!
> 
> I apologize in advance.

Lazy evenings spent with Gabriel were Jack's favorite. Just sitting on the deck with the other man, watching Lady romp in the grass and listening to the sounds of the night boil up around them like a symphony of screaming bugs. On some nights they could even watch fireflies wink their lights from the field behind Jack's house. 

Life wih Gabriel was all too perfect. Just having the other man by his side when he woke up, days spent lounging about when they could afford the time. It was nice. Gabriel made a fantastic companion. 

Yes they were both haunted by nightmares of many different varieties, and Jack had spent more than one night up carding his fingers through Gabriel's hair and doing his best to calm his companion. But it was worth it, knowing Gabriel not only trusted him, but loved him as well. He couldn't have thought of someone who could understand him better. Not even his own siblings knew him like Gabriel knew him, it was almost freaky. Then again Gabriel had seen him at lows his siblings had never even had the chance to see. 

Lady seemed just as attached as he was. When she wasn't trailing along behind him while he did his chores about the farm, she was trying to find the best way to cuddle with both of them at the same time. It was kind of cute actually. No, it was really cute. Gabriel seemed to find it endearing as well, and Jack kept having to remind the other man that Lady only needed so many treats in a day. But his reminders seemed to be in vain, and Gabriel seemed happy to encourage Lady to play enough in the evenings for any excess treats to be kept in check by excersize. 

So time dragged on, tainted by monotiny and not much else. Jack heard stories about Jesse's family. Gabriel got invited to join Jack's family for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was nice, domestic, Jack didn't think he'd ever get that kind of thing after he'd served. And especially not with a fallen archangel. But there they were. Living happily together without a hitch. 

The evenings had begun to crisp as the seasons turned, the harvest would come soon, and then winter would roll around. Jack had started to chop wood too, and Gabriel offered his help with that task, so they'd be set for the winter and they could get rid of the massive stack of logs Jack had gotten delivered by Reinhardt. And the stack of logs was gradually growing. Jack eyed the stack wearily as he leaned back against Gabriel. They'd have to haul all of it down to the basement, and he figured it would be better to do that before it became a whole day's worth of work. They'd already helped Jesse with the most recent shipment of hay, and that'd been a long few hours of just getting the fresh bales up into the loft. 

For the moment though, Jack just shifted his arms to fold over Gabriel's, situating himself happily between the other man's legs. He spared a moment to tip his head back, pressing a tiny kiss to the underside of Gabriel's jaw before he turned his attention to the sky above the barn. The sunset was completely free of clouds for once, except for the thin one winding up across the sky. 

Jack squinted at it, that looked too... grey to be a cloud. And it was steadily growing... He followed the apparent cloud to the closed loft doors, before shock jolted through him and he watched smoke slip between the doors. 

He was up in a second as Lady started barking furiously, bolting towards the barn. 

Jack was hard on her heels, mind racing as he heard Gabriel shouting for him. What was it that his mother told him when he bought the farm? Barns burned ridiculously fast, whatever the exact thing she'd told him was. However, he didn't need Lady running into the barn should it actually be burning, and ended up stopping to grab her by the collar, handing her wordlessly off to Gabriel before he bolted into the barn. 

He could already hear the sound off fire crackling away in the loft, too late to extinguish it. The horses hadn't started to panic just yet, but they were nervous. Jack knew to get the horses closest to the doors first, and that was Ruby. 

It was a good thing the farmer had learned to think on his feet. He didn't have time to get her into her halter and lead her out like that, and ended up grabbing a length of rope from a table, ducking into her stall and soothing Ruby gently as he tied a loop into the rope. Jack was doing his damndest to keep a level head as he heard the sound of the fire spreading overhead, the smoke had begun to billow against the ceiling of the barn, and Jack's heart was in his throat as he looped the rope around Ruby's neck. He could hear the fire spreading, he'd seen how fast fire ate through hay, it went up in mere seconds. That fact branded itself to the forefront of his mind as he eased Ruby and lead her from her stall, listening to the growing sound of the hay burning overhead. 

Ruby pranced nervously as he lead her from the barn, ears flickering back and forth. Gabriel had caught on to what was going on and was there as soon as Jack left the barn. It was hard not to with the smoke pluming from between the cracks in the loft doors. 

"Get her over by the house! I've got to get the others!" Jack could hear the panic in his own voice as he pushed the rope into Gabriel's free hand. He wasted no time before ducking back into the barn. 

The fire was roaring in the loft, heat and smoke boiled down on top of the horses, who'd started knocking about in their stalls. Jack shoved the door open quickly, but that'd been a mistake. The draft carried a burning bit of hay directly into The General's stall. By the time Jack could cross the space between himself and the stall, the hay had gone up in flames. The horse screamed and thrashed as Jack threw the door to the stall open. The heat licked up his front but he persisted, reaching in to grab the horse by the mane, pulling forward. He could feel the heat singing off any hair on his arm, but couldn't bring himself to caer about that for the moment. 

The General quickly moved from the fire but didn't seem keen on going further, panicking and screaming as Jack struggled to keep him on all four feet. He could see nasty burns lashing up the horse's legs, and could hear the other two panicking as the fire consumed The General's stall. Jack managed to grab a harness from the table as he calmed the horse enough to lead him out. Gabriel could get the horse into it while he got the other two. 

Jack lead the second horse out as quickly as he could, before handing The General off to Gabriel. The other man seemed to have something to say, but Jack gave him no time to, the fire was raging at that point, and there was heat flowing off the barn like water. They had no time to talk.

When he stepped back into the barn, Jack could feel the terror rolling off of the two horses left. But when he tried to get Penny to move, she nearly kicked him, throwing up hay as Jack tried to ignore the fire nearly against his back, making him sweat. He wished horses were easier in emergency situations. They'd been known to run back into fires when they panicked, and Jack just hoped he could avoid that by having Gabriel take each horse. 

Penny refused to move until he'd pulled his shirt off and used it to cover her eyes. It was only then that he could tangle a hand in her mane and slowly lead her out of the barn. He could hear things starting to crack overhead, the roof of the barn groaning with the heat as the flames consumed the structure. By the time he'd handed the third horse off to Gabriel, it was too dangerous to go back in, Gabriel grabbed him by the arm to hold him back, but Jack couldn't leave Pat inside to burn. 

He pulled from the other man's grip, darting back towards the barn as smoke started to billow from the whole thing, flames licking from the loft doors. The boards of the loft floor had started to visibly smolder, and it made Jack nervous as he spared one glance up at it before going for the last horse. 

Jack had Pat's stall door open in a second, but the large horse didn't seem on cooperating more than one step at a time. Jack was riddled with his own fear, listening to the barn begin to loose integrity as he lead the horse to the barn door. The loft floor was done for at that point, and Jack knew that if he didn't get Pat out before it gave out, they were both fucked. It had him sweating almost as much as the fire did. It was starting to drip into his eyes from the heat, but he avoided dashing it away in favor of getting the horse out. 

Pat made progress to the door, and Jack had just gotten him out when a beam let out a particularly loud crack. Pat startled, rearing out of Jack's grip and backing up several steps with a shriek, right back into the barn. 

It was then that the floor of the loft gave out, throwing up sparks right in Jack's face.

It spilled burning hay and timbers all over the horse, making Pat reel back before he collapsed, thrashing as the fire consumed him. 

Jack was frozen, watching the horse as the barn gave another groan, and there was the sound of timbers buckling. It was only the strong pair of arms around his waist that jolted Jack out of his state, and he didn't even protest as he was lifted and dragged back away from the blaze. 

Jack couldn't tear his eyes away from the fire, he could feel the heat even from beside the house. He listened to the rest of the loft floor crash to the ground, watching the sparks fly as it did so, spilling hay across the barn floor and only serving to make the huge building even more of a tinder box. 

The other three horses shied back by the porch, Gabriel had found some way to hack the rope into three sections, tying each horse to the railings of the porch and had put Lady inside where she barked feverishly. 

Pat had just died before his eyes, Jack realized numbly as he heard Gabriel talking. The black smoke billowed into the sky as Jack processed the fact. The loyal horse he'd trained to pull a cart for the sake of little things like county fairs and the town's apple festival in the fall. He'd watched the large horse die, consumed by a fire caused by... Jack could only assume the hay. It was a brand new delivery... One bale could have caused everything. 

Gabriel was nudging him, it made Jack startle slightly and realize Gabriel was offering him the phone. 

"I called the fire department." Gabriel kept his voice low, and suddenly Jack was intensely grateful he'd taught Gabriel emergency numbers for the area. 

"I should call Jesse..." Jack murmured, looking at the phone in his hands, then back to the black smoke billowing from the barn. It was a good thing it was a ways off from everything else, otherwise Jack would be worried it would bring the house with it. He looked down at the phone once more, he'd need somewhere to keep the horses...

His gaze turned to the horses, only for him to realize that The General was standing, quaking. Awful burns lashed up his legs and flanks, and Jack didn't let his eyes linger long before he was dialing the phone. 

"Hello, what's up Jack?" There was a cheerful note to Jesse's voice when the other man picked up his phone, and Jack wasn't sure how to react to that as he watched the loft doors fall from their hinges and the flames pour from the open space left. 

"I- I don't suppose you could board the horses for a while could you Jesse?" He croaked out, feeling Gabriel's arm wind around him as sirens wailed down the road, breaking the roar of the fire. 

"Woah, what for Jack? Somethin' wrong?" The cheer vanished, replaced by concern and the sound of Jesse getting up from something. 

"The barn's, in flames." Jack responded bluntly. There was no other way to put it, though the shocked sound he earned from the other man proved it probably wasn't the best way to handle things. The fire engines and police vehicles began to stream in though, and Jack was having a hard time focusing on Jesse. 

"I'll be right there Jack," Jesse's tone was grim before the other man hung up and Jack let the phone drop to his lap. 

What followed was a blur, Jack and Gabriel watched the firefighters try to extinguish the blaze. They watched as the barn caved in on itself and crumpled to the ground. At some point Gabriel wrapped a jacket around Jack's shoulders. He was held against Gabriel's side, still thinking about the screaming he'd heard as Pat was covered in burning hay. 

It was when Jesse's truck pulled into the driveway, and the other man nudged his way past the officials that Jack managed to drag himself from his daze. He hadn't even realized how upset he was until he was enveloped in a strong hug from the other man. Jesse gave him a wordless squeeze, and Jack struggled to hold back tears. He'd lost a horse, he'd broken Pat himself, laughed when the horse had stuck his head over the side of Penny's stall to watch him when he groomed the other horse. 

"You holdin' up okay?" Jesse pulled back, hands on Jack's shoulders as Jack pulled the jacket closer around himself. The farmer could only offer a shrug before Gabriel had come by to take Jack against his side once more. Jesse let them have a moment, going to the horses as Jack collapsed quietly against his companion's chest. It hurt, loosing the horse, it really did. He was glad he'd gotten the others out but loosing the horse felt like he'd lost more than an animal. 

He let himself have a moment, tears slipping silently down his cheeks as he hid his face in Gabriel's shoulder. How had he let the hay slip past him if it'd been that bad?

"Uh Jack?" Jesse's voice startled Jack slightly and he lifted his head to look over at Jesse. The other man had stopped a good distance from The General, but there was concern written clearly across his face.

"I'm gonna... Call Angela." Jesse went fishing in his pocket for his phone, and Jack cursed himself for not thinking about that sooner. The General needed to be tended to. He should have known that as soon as he'd seen the state the horse was in. 

However, as soon as Angela got a good look at the horse, the outlook darkened severely. 

"Jack, I'm afraid that, at this point, with the burns he's sustained... The best option for him is euthanasia." Angela kept her voice gentle, a hand on Jack's arm as Gabriel spoke with yet another officer that'd been called to the scene. The barn was still burning behind them. But Jack felt his throat lock up at Angela's words. 

"Besides Jack, if his stall went up so fast, his lungs are probably suffering as well." She brought her other hand up to grip both of Jack's arms as he lifted his hands to rub his face, shoulders falling. 

"Do it then, I'm not going to make him suffer." Jack rasped, pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a shuddering breath. He'd saved The General from euthanasia years ago, when he'd stopped winning races. It was a stroke of luck that Jack had been able to save him but... The General was the first horse he'd ever owned. He'd spent a year bonding with the animal before Ruby came along...

He took the horse's lead to help The General limp away from the other horses. Gabriel and Jesse held back, but Angela followed, needle in hand. She hesitated, giving Jack a moment with a slight nod. 

Jack was surprised that The General was so calm, just standing there shaking as Jack bumped his forehead against the horse's. He remembered the day he'd brought The General home, trying to figure out how the hell he was going to care for a horse. The way The General had poked his head out of his stall every day since to greet Jack when he walked through the door. 

He scratched under the horse's jaw gently, breath shuddering in his chest as his other hand stroked down the horse's neck. He and the horse had spent years together, they knew each other like they knew themselves. 

"We had a good run General, we did." Jack croaked, pressing his cheek to the horse's forehead before he drew back to let Angela do her thing, wiping his eyes with his hand. 

She administered the injection carefully before she took the lead from Jack, allowing him to back away to Gabriel, who quickly swept Jack up into another hug. Jack didn't want to watch it, but he heard The General hit the ground. It made him cringe further into Gabriel's chest, a choked noise leaving him. 

Two horses in one day, in one fire. A simple mistake had cost the lives of two of his horses. 

From there, he didn't realy register much. He heard something about monitoring the other two horses for smoke inhalation, resources for how to dispose of The General's body... It all kind of bounced off of him, didn't sink in. His eyes were either on the smoldering remains of the barn, or the body of his beloved horse. 

Even when the emergency vehicles left, when Jesse had taken the last two horses back to his place and Angela had gone home, Jack didn't process. He just... Shut down.

He'd seen too much fire and death in his time to really let it sink in. He didn't want to see more. He didn't want to endure more of those he cared about dying because of supid mistakes and uneffective failsafes. Jack had lost human comrades, and now he'd lost the quieter, animal kind. He didn't even want to think about what happened to the barn cats that had likely been sleeping in that hay. So he wasn't going to. For the moment his world had narrowed down to Gabriel's arms around him and that was it. 

The other man was soon gently nudging Jack inside, brushing Lady off before she could bark or jump on them. Jack allowed Gabriel to lead him up the stairs, not really listening as Gabriel talked to him softly, soothing him. Jack probably needed a shower, he was covered in sweat from when he'd been running around. But Gabriel just seemed keen on getting him into bed. 

Jack started to respond again when Gabriel pulled him down under the covers, wrapping around him to comfort the farmer. Jack finally broke down at that point. Strangled sobs pulled from him as the panic wormed its way back into his mind. How the hell were they going to get the barn back in shape for he summer? How would they dispose of the debris and the bodies of the horses? It was going to be costly, that and replacing the farm equipment that had been lost. 

It was all too much for Jack to think about. That was a disgusting amount of money, he didn't even know where he'd get all of it, let alone how he and Gabriel could get through the winter without going under after such a massive financial blow. It didn't hurt as much as loosing the horses, but the knowledge of the hell that was to come didn't make things any better as Jack cried quietly into Gabriel's chest. 

He eventually crashed out of sheer exhaustion, out cold in a matter of moments. 

Jack could only dream of fire and screaming that night. 

~~~

Jack's mother was horrified by what had happened, when she was told the next day. She wanted to know what she could do, and was trying to be as supportive as possible. Though she was probably completely unaware that Jack hadn't even dragged himself out of bed, and thankfully Gabriel had decided not to move until Jack did. 

Her descision was that Jack and Gabriel should come stay with them until they figured out what their next move was. Jack probably shouldn't have been surprised by that, but his parents knew what it was like to loose animals. They'd had horses before he was born, but after they passed, the Morrisons had become a family of four, and he and Sam had never gotten to see the horses. 

Jack couldn't really argue that he'd be any better off just staying at his place. And Gabriel seemed to support his mother in the sense that Jack honestly wasn't ready to function at the moment. He needed to, he knew that, but he couldn't help but melt back into the bed as soon as he'd hung up the phone.

There were things to do, he had to take care of The General, he had to get the remains of the barn cleared, he had to do so many things. But Gabriel's embrace was intoxicating, and he couldn't bring himself to leave it as he settled once more, burying his face in Gabriel's chest. He figured, he could allow himself a couple days. He still had to arrange for someone to come get and dispose of the dead horse in his yard though. That had to happen immediately. 

A few phone calls and several hugs later, Jack watched as his father's truck pulled into the driveway. Lady sat at his feet as Gabriel pulled his jacket on just inside. Any other day and Jack probably would have been more helpful with locking up, but as it was... He was just too numb to really function, eyeing the blackened remains of the building. People had come to haul off The General and Pat, and Jack had watched them pull the charred remains of the large horse from the ashes of the barn and nearly got sick from the sight. 

Gabriel's hand on his arm had Jack pulling himself up a bit, casting a questioning look in his partner's direction. Gabriel offered him a reassuring look, leaning over to kiss Jack's hair, before winding an arm around him and nudging him towards the truck. 

Jack made sure to help load their bags into the back of the truck, along with the things they were bringing for Lady. His mother seemed near distraught by the damage that had been done to the barn as the pair got settled into the back seat, and she turned to look at Jack, hunched over a bit and staring at the same sight. 

"Jack, sweetie, is there anything I can do?" She'd already asked, and Jack looked back at her at the question. Her look was drenched in concern, and for once he wished she could have done more. 

"Not really, sorry, thanks for uh, having us though." He tried to offer up a smile, and she returned it sadly. 

"Well, you two are welcome for as long as you need." Caroline reminded him. Jack had never gone back to stay with his parents since he'd moved out, but it was comforting they were still there in case he needed them. 

They seemed to know Jack was having a rough time, and left him and Gabriel be to do their own thing without trying to snag them into being social. The pair was left to get settled in the guest room while Lady explored outside. Jack was making mental notes on what he needed to get done to make sure they were set to the winter as Gabriel hugged him tightly. 

"Jack, you've got to relax for a minute. Breathe, we've got enough time to figure this out without you running yourself ragged about it." Gabriel's voice broke Jack's thoughts, and the other man's hand brushing over his hair certainly helped him relax a bit. However he couldn't really get behind that statement. 

"There's so much to do Gabe... There's just... There's so much." Not to mention the costs of everything. That still bothered Jack in all honesty, it bothered him a lot. After he'd recovered, he had no doubt he'd be doing everything in his power to get things back on track, he'd have to talk to the insurance company too, hopefully that would ease the blow. 

"I know Jack, I know, we're gonna figure this out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh, that was that. I did my best to keep things as accurate as possible, and learned how terrifyingly fast a barn can completely catch fire. Along with generally how much pain a horse can take before euthanasia is the best option for the sake of the animal. 
> 
> Anyways, as usual, feel free to shout at me in the comments or even over on Tumblr on the official blog for CMIF, (URL is in the notes of chapter 11)
> 
> (Check it out if you want updates on the status of the next chapter to come or just have any kind of question about plot or characters, or even want to make a recommendation for future plot! I also may ask you guys questions on there so if you want to weigh in on possible things to happen in the future, head on over!)


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